The Terra Save Chronicles
by Little Gem Magnolia
Summary: Claire didn't know how it happened but, somewhere along the way, she'd come to rely on him; and not just for business either.
1. And so it begins

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do __**NOT**__ own Resident Evil or the characters._

_**Summary: **__Claire didn't know how it happened but somewhere along the way, she'd come to rely on him and not just for business either. Series of connected one-shots dealing with Claire's time at Terra Save._

_**A/N: **__This is my first attempt at any kind of Resident Evil fanfic so please be gentle upon reviewing. Like the summary says, this is just a series of connected one-shots, something else I've never done before, about Claire's time with Terra Save and an associate she finds herself spending time with. Rebecca will be featured as a member of Terra Save since I'm too lazy to create an original character, and there will probably be many subtle references made to Rebecca/Billy but the mention of other RE characters and pairings will most likely be kept to a minimum._

_The pairing is crack, I know, I've played the games, I don't need to be reminded. I'd appreciate it if reviews didn't involve bashing the pairing, I'd rather them have to do with the merits of the writing. Constructiveness is always appreciated and negative feedback is always expected but flames are not welcome and will be reported. Thank you._

_My usual mode of editing is down for the moment so if anyone spots any spelling errors that have been overlooked, please point them out so that they may be changed. You will forever have my gratitude._

_Please enjoy. _

* * *

_And so it begins..._

_Monday, 11:00 pm; Terra Save Laboratories_

Claire heard Rebecca sigh and looked over to see her tiny, tired form hunched over a small microscope.

"Any luck?" The young auburn haired woman questioned as she made her way to her friend.

Rebecca nodded, eyes still looking through the lenses of the microscope. "Yeah and it's all bad. I can't find anything in here that would make its test subjects act in such a way..." she trailed, finally looking up at her companion.

"I'm sure WilPharma's guilty; it's got to be there." Claire began thoughtfully. "Have you checked all of the T-Virus samples?"

Rebecca sighed again and Claire instantly felt guilty for asking the question.

"A hundred times over, it's just not here Claire."

Claire made a frustrated sound as she pulled back the hair tie around her arm before letting it go and snap painfully back into place. "Well you should probably get going; working to exhaustion won't do anything but drive you crazy. We'll pick it up again tomorrow."

Rebecca nodded, taking off her white lab coat and throwing it in the direction of an empty lab table. It stopped short, landing on the floor just in front of its intended target, but the petite brunette made no move to pick it up. "What are you going to do?"

Claire looked up, blue-grey eyes meeting green as Rebecca looked at her worriedly, knowing that her friend had been working entirely too hard lately and probably should've been in bed at that very moment.

"Oh I think I'm going to finish this report before I leave." She informed, holding up a manila folder.

"Then maybe I should stay with you, I don't like the idea of you being here by yourself..." Rebecca trailed, turning off the light table and pushing the microscope to the center to ensure that it wouldn't be knocked off.

"You go on, I'll be fine." Claire assured, setting the folder down and reaching over to the microscope to gather the sample still lying on the tray. "Besides, you have someone waiting for you, I don't. Your Lieutenant's probably worried."

Rebecca laughed, Claire never called him Billy and she probably never would but she didn't call him by his former title to be mean or to remind him of his status as a fugitive, she did it out of respect. He was a good man, he made Rebecca happy and as far as Claire was concerned, that was all she needed to know, she couldn't care less about the rest. Billy didn't mind the nickname and appreciated her favor, Rebecca knew seeing as he always spoke so highly of her; he'd even joked once that he'd think something was wrong if Claire ever called him by name.

"He wouldn't mind if I stayed a little while longer," she insisted, following the young Redfield to the virus containment room as she put the sample Rebecca had been studying for the past three hours away. "Especially if he knew you were intent on staying here by yourself. He'd never forgive me if anything happened to you, you know."

Claire chuckled as she locked the sample in its assigned cabinet and turned to face the shorter girl behind her. "Is that so?"

"He's grown very fond of you," Rebecca informed seriously. "Asks about you all the time. He'd really like it if you came around this weekend."

"Oh Becks I don't know, I hate being the third wheel."

"It wouldn't be like that, Leon's supposed to be coming over too."

"Then I know I'm not coming." Claire huffed, slipping past the younger woman hurriedly, turning the light off in the containment room as she went.

Leon just hadn't been the same since he'd scored a job with the government; Claire had been a firsthand witness to that in Harvardville. He wasn't the same Leon she met in Raccoon City and he wasn't the same man she'd become good friends with, he was different and even though Claire knew it wasn't right, she couldn't help but loathe this new Leon Kennedy.

"I know you two don't exactly get along much anymore but neither do he and Billy. You'd be there to balance things out." Rebecca continued, following Claire as she made her way back through the lab and to their shared office.

"If Billy doesn't like him then why is he coming over?"

Rebecca shrugged. "Leon just called a few nights back and said he needed to speak with me, didn't say why but if he's got to speak with me, he's probably going to have to speak with you too. Why not kill two birds with one stone...so to speak?"

"I don't know...I've got all this work and--"

"Don't try to pull that on me," Rebecca cut in. "That only works when the person you're telling it to doesn't share an office with you. Please Claire."

Just as she was about to spout out another excuse, Rebecca poked her lower lip out and stood rocking on her heels with her hands behind her back, looking very much like an innocent child.

"When?"

Rebecca squealed with delight. "Noon, Saturday."

"I'll be there on one condition," Claire began, sitting down on a plain wooden chair that was stationed behind an equally plain wooden desk. "You go home and get some rest, pronto."

Her young friends' face fell. "But--"

"But nothing, I'll be fine believe me."

Rebecca looked as though she was in a state of indecision for a moment before sighing. "Alright but after that report is finished, I want you to go home. You look like hell."

Claire laughed and agreed, watching as the former Alpha medic left the office. A few seconds later the door to the lab opened and closed signaling Rebecca's departure.

Sighing, Claire scooped her hair up and tied it in a messy ponytail before searching through the papers on her desk. _Now where did I put that folder...?_ After searching a moment more, she huffed and stood, walking back into the lab._ Ha, there it is! _She thought triumphantly, catching sight of the folder on the corner of the light table.

"Thought you could get away, did you?" She mumbled in mock indignation as she reached for the elusive object. Just as her fingers graced the edge of the thin folder, a light caught the corner of her eye and when she turned, she saw that it was the light in the containment unit.

_I'm sure I cut that off when I left..._

Abandoning her folder, Claire swiftly reached for the gun on her hip. Terra Save didn't promote guns, which was the only reason she hadn't carried one before but after Harvardville, she wouldn't chance even going to the bathroom without her gun with her; three outbreaks in one lifetime was just too much.

Claire sucked in a deep breath as she crept forward, one wrong move in the containment unit could prove to be disastrous for her. Not sure she was ready to face what awaited her, Claire made her way to the door of the containment unit, left slightly ajar by Rebecca, and peaked inside quietly.

_What the...? _There was someone in there. _If I'd made sure Rebecca closed the door, this wouldn't be happening._ She thought, silently reprimanding herself for her negligence as she swung the door open wider.

"Stop what you're doing and turn around slowly, hands in the air." She called, coming to stand behind the intruder, weapon at the ready.

The figure paused at hearing her voice and turned slowly, revealing nothing but a tell-tale gas mask.

Claire couldn't do anything to contain the gasp that escaped her lips at the sight of the intruder; the gas mask gave him away as a former associate of Umbrella. She'd met him before, back after Rockfort Island when she'd been a member of Chris and Barry's strike force. He'd been in pursuit of Jill and herself at the time, trying to attain information they'd stolen from Wesker but she hadn't been afraid when she'd encountered him then; she was now, though. He'd still been imposing but she'd had more artillery.

"You..." She began, backing away, weapon still poised on the masked intruder.

"Me." He confirmed, striding forward threateningly. "You know what I'm here for, Ms. Redfield. I want that sample."

"What sample?" She inquired innocently, regaining some of her bravery as he took off his mask. He never made a move for his weapon, though; he was confident and she hated it.

Muscles rippled under black clothing and his surprisingly handsome face was set into a sneer as he closed in on her. He stalked her like a predator, like she was a helpless rabbit in the sights of a stealthy fox with no escape.

"The sample that you and _what's his face _extracted from Harvardville. I have an employer who is in dire need of it."

Claire straightened a little at his response. He wanted _that_ sample? She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat as she dropped her weapon and turned her back to him.

"I don't have it," she stated, striding from the room at an easy pace as she holstered her gun, turning the light back off as she went.

"What do you mean you don't have it?" He growled, leaving the room behind her.

"Shut that door and I'll tell you." She laughed, knowing that her newfound mirth was unsettling for him, that he was much more comfortable when he was in charge of the situation, when his enemies were afraid.

Sighing in frustration, HUNK turned and closed the door to the containment room before following Claire to her office.

"Where is it?" He questioned as she sat down behind her desk, leaning back in her chair slightly.

"With _what's his face_," she stated simply, air quoting the title he'd given to Leon. "You didn't really think the US government would let go of a sample like that did you? Even Terra Save couldn't convince them to hand it over and we have more experience with that sort of thing."

In a fit of rage, HUNK threw his mask across the room; he'd been assured it'd be here. His mask hit the wall behind Claire before falling to the floor. Releasing her relaxed posture, Claire bent over and picked it up before hunching over her desk, fiddling with the mask in her hand.

"Where is it then?" He demanded, leaning over the edge of the wood separating them so that he was eye level with her.

"Now why would I tell you? We're on opposite ends of the spectrum." She reminded, seemingly unbothered by his closeness, gaining confidence in the fact that she didn't have what he was searching for.

HUNK looked as though he wanted to yell at her before his expression changed completely. He regained his cocky posture, standing up straighter and turning his back to her, leaning against the desk with his arms crossed. "Because I can give you what you want."

Claire's eyes narrowed as she stood from her chair and walked around to face him, mask still in hand. "You couldn't possibly have anything I desire."

"Oh really?" He challenged, smirking at her in such a way that just begged for her to unload a few rounds into his well built torso.

"Yeah, really." She bit back, crossing her own arms.

"Let me put it to you another way. Now this is just a guess, but from how late you're still hanging around this place I find it safe to say that you're not getting any results from those pitiful little test tubes you acquired from WilPharma's labs and the government has something that'll change that. Something you_ want_, something your organization _needs,_ something that could very well be the only thing on Earth with the ability to break the case you're working on wide open." He explained with a self-satisfied grin. "Now I've been paid to get that sample back to my employer but no one says I have to return the entire sample. Who's to say that I couldn't make a little stop back here before I report to my boss?"

Claire studied him skeptically. "Why would you help me?"

"Because the job always comes first."

"I won't pay you." She informed, poking him in the chest.

HUNK laughed and grabbed her finger gently, gentler than she could have ever imagined from someone like him. "You won't have to; all you have to do is tell me where the sample's being held."

She once again studied him with a skeptical frown, blue-grey eyes locking onto icy blue and holding them there, completely forgetting that her finger was still in his grasp. "How do I know you'll come through?"

Icy eyes narrowed as their owners expression darkened. "I always keep my word."

_And the word of a hired hand is worth what exactly?_ Claire wondered, though the look on his face stopped her from vocalizing her thoughts.

"I've heard that it _and_ the cure are being held at Area 51." She revealed, hoping he'd get the stressed hint in her tone.

HUNK smiled as she relented and nodded at her hint before guiding her hand back to her side and releasing her finger. "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Claire glared at him, watching as he stalked around her. "You'll never get passed their security." She called, stopping him at her office door.

"I'm Mr. Death, Ms. Redfield and I always get what I want." He assured, turning just in time to catch his suddenly airborne mask and then he was gone. Claire was sure of it, though he hadn't made a noise.

Shaking her head, Claire turned back to her desk._ Now where did I put that folder?_

* * *

_Friday, 10:48 pm; Terra Save Laboratories_

"Hey Claire, I'm heading out. You coming?" Rebecca suddenly called from inside the lab, making the woman addressed jump slightly and hit her head on one of the cabinets in the containment room.

Claire cursed, rubbing her head. "No, I've still got some work to do." She called back as she shut the open cabinet and left the room, cutting the light off and closing the door as she went.

"Alright but I don't want you staying here too long. Remember, noon tomorrow." Rebecca reminded as she tossed her lab coat toward one of the lab tables, watching as it fell short. "I'll get that one day..." she muttered before waving to Claire and leaving the lab.

The young Redfield woman laughed, watching her go before heading to her office. Claire yawned and stretched as she walked; it had been a long day and she was so tired. _Just one more hour, _she promised herself as she sat down at her desk. _Just another hour and then rest. _

Claire sighed and reached for a file that sat on the corner of her desk but something stopped her. There was a package sitting on top of the file she wanted.

_That wasn't there before, was it?_ Shaking her head, she deemed the matter unimportant; it was there now and that was all that mattered.

Upon opening the package Claire was surprised to find that it contained a padded box that housed two test tubes with oddly colored liquid in them, but the contents of the box wasn't what made her gasp into the empty room; it was the note that the box had been sitting on.

_'It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Redfield. Until next time--'_

* * *

_**Ending A/N: **__Alright now like I said, this is my first attempt at Resident Evil fanfic so I hope it wasn't too terrible and I hope no one was too OOC.__ I would like to say that I enjoyed writing this and that this set will probably be continued whether people review or not just because I think Resident Evil needs a little more crack in it's fandom._

_Now I do believe I've taken up enough of your time, so thank you for reading and please __**please**__ review. _

_-Midnight Larkin._


	2. And so it continues

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do __**NOT**__ own Resident Evil or the characters._

_**A/N: **__I'm still getting my bearings with writing for the RE universe and writing the characters so people might be a little OOC for a while until I get the hang of it. This one-shot is directly connected with the one before it so it's probably best if you read the first one, which I hope you're doing anyway seeing as how they're all under the same title. Well I hope everyone enjoys and please remember to review; it would be much appreciated. (My editing system is still being a problem so pointing out spelling errors will get you brownie points.)_

_Enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

_And so it continues..._

_Saturday, 1:00 pm; Rebecca and Billy's Apartment_

Billy watched Claire's eyes widen at Leon's words before she regained herself and put up a cool front.

"When did this happen?" Rebecca questioned as she leaned forward in her seat, thoroughly enthralled.

"Earlier this week. We're looking for the thief but we haven't found him yet and there are no leads at this point." Leon explained, sitting in his chair looking as relaxed as could be, as though they were speaking of the weather instead of dangerous viruses.

"The security cameras didn't get anything?" Rebecca asked, obviously more interested in the government agents news than her two companions.

Leon cleared his throat at her inquiry, leaving time for Billy to cut in and answer.

"Area 51 doesn't really _do_ security cameras, Becks." He stated, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Yeah, the government doesn't really like having their illegal actions caught on camera and I'm sure Area 51 is just full of 'em." Claire began. "Why do you think they nuked Raccoon? It wasn't just for safety I'll tell you that."

"That's not fair, Claire--" Leon started but blue eyed woman would have none of it.

"Oh grow up, Leon. Raccoon was completely surrounded by Arklay on all sides and without public Umbrella transport, getting out of that town took days of hiking and traveling up the mountain paths, weeks if you take into account that there's nothing on the other side of Arklay but forest. Besides Raccoon's citizens there was no one else around to get infected, there was absolutely no reason to nuke that town immediately without gathering the much needed evidence to make a conviction unless the US was trying to cover up their involvement--"

"Don't throw accusations around; you have no proof of that." Leon interrupted.

Billy and Rebecca found that staring was the only thing they could do as the battle before grew more intense, the air practically crackling with electricity.

"And you do?" Claire bit back. "Give me solid proof that the government wasn't involved and I _might_ just reconsider my position."

"You know I can't do that..." Leon trailed uneasily, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

Claire smirked, that was the first sign of emotion or feeling he had expressed in a long time but unfortunately it was at the wrong time. Leon's unease did nothing but prove to her that even he wasn't sure about the governments part in Raccoon's outbreak and the fact that he was a survivor of the incident probably tagged him as someone to keep that information away from.

Leon opened his mouth but closed it a second later; trying desperately to find some kind of defense against Claire but Billy didn't give him the chance.

"Well is that all you wanted to speak with us about Leon or was there more?" He asked, giving Claire a pointed look.

"Well there was something else but it's definitely not as important as this break in."

"It had to be something pretty big for you to travel all the way to Nevada from Washington." Rebecca pressed kindly, breathing a sigh of relief as the tension in the room eased a little.

"It's nothing just...Chris recently discovered that he and Jill were being followed and Barry's being having some problems with strange characters asking after him, I just wanted to warn you guys to be careful." The sandy-haired man confessed. "Just because you're not in the middle of all the violence doesn't mean you're safe."

"_That's_ why you came out here?" Claire asked disbelievingly.

Leon shot her a sheepish look before muttering something about having work bringing him out their way anyway.

"I knew it," she murmured shaking her head, that was all Leon thought about now a days. He didn't have time for his friends, old acquaintances and the last time she'd seen Ada, it seemed he didn't have time for her either. Work was consuming him and by the time he retired, he'd probably look up to find that his friends hadn't waited for him to get his head out of his ass.

Leon stared at Claire's faraway and thoughtful look and briefly wondered what she was thinking before sighing. "Well I think it's time for me to leave, I've got a meeting at four." He began, standing from his seat making everyone rise to see him out but Claire, who was still staring off into space.

"Well it was a pleasure to have you, Leon." Rebecca started, patting the agent on the back. "You come back anytime."

"Yeah it was good seeing you," Billy added, though his tone was a little less sincere than Rebecca's.

As the door shut behind Leon, Rebecca sighed and turned back to Claire. "You two really need to sort out your differences," she began, running a hand over her face. "It's entirely too stressful being around you guys when you get like that."

"He's got an attitude that asks for it, Becks..." Billy trailed, a sheepish look on his handsome face as Rebecca rounded on him.

"Not you too--" She started but Billy gently cut in before she could go any farther.

"I served with marines that weren't that tightly wound, the man really needs a good...date?" He finished lamely at stares from both women.

Rebecca looked at him for a moment before shaking her head and going over to the door, picking up her laundry basket on the way. "I'm going to go get the clothes from the drier in the basement," she mumbled looking back at Claire. "I hope you'll stay for dinner," she threw back with a hopeful smile, leaving at Claire's hesitant nod.

As soon as Rebecca was gone, Billy came over and sat down on the couch beside the auburn haired Redfield. "You know something don't you?"

Claire's right eye twitched as she looked over at him, her expression otherwise neutral. "What are you talking about?"

"The break-in at Area 51," he started. "I saw that look on your face when Leon was talking about it."

A nervous laugh escaped her as she stood and began to pace.

"Don't try to lie out of it, Redfield. I know you know something and besides, who am I going to tell? I'm a dead man remember?"

Sighing in defeat Claire stopped her pacing and sat back down, though definitely not as relaxed as she had been--sitting on the edge of the couch, craning her head to look back at Billy.

"It was HUNK." She stated simply and without explanation.

At her statement Billy lost his own relaxed posture and he sat up so that he was shoulder to shoulder with her. "And just how do you know that?" He demanded roughly. "I know things are bad with the WilPharma case, doing things by the book isn't always easy, but that's no reason to steal--"

"Hold your horses, cowboy," Claire interrupted. "_I_ didn't steal anything and besides, do you really think I would trust him with my life by going out on a mission with him? Have you gone brain dead, Lieutenant?"

He looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "How do you know so much about it then?"

Claire sighed and delved into her story about what happened Monday in the Terra Save lab. Billy was quiet throughout her story, though there were times when she could tell he wanted to step in and reprimand her for the way she handled things.

"So basically you hired him to steal for you?" He stated after she'd finished.

"Not_ hired_, traded really...I don't like to think about it that way, though."

"I don't care how you_ like _to think about it, the fact is you hired a former Umbrella employee to do your dirty work."

"Yeah but you don't have to say it that way...and don't look at me like that either." Claire said indignantly, shaking her finger at him. "And please, for the love of God don't tell Rebecca."

Billy nodded reluctantly before saying: "You do know you have to get rid of it, right? You can't put yourself or the organization in danger by keeping that sample around."

"I know but how am I supposed to dispose of it without bringing suspicion to myself and Rebecca for that matter?"

"Get _him_ back and tell him to get rid of it." Billy suggested almost instantly.

Claire sighed and slouched back against the back of the couch in a defeated manner. "That would be a good idea if I knew how to get in touch with him...and had the money to hire him. There's no way I'd be able to pay what he'd charge for something like that."

"Don't worry about getting him, I'll handle that but about the money...maybe you could make a deal with him again; trade him for information or something."

Claire started to say something but the door opening stopped her.

"I swear someone needs to get that elevator fixed, there's no way I'll be able to continue doing laundry if I have to keep walking up and down nine floors to do it." Rebecca huffed, practically throwing the laundry basket into a nearby chair before hurrying off to the kitchen. "What do you guys think about lasagna?"

"Sounds great, doll face. We'll be in there to help you in a sec." Billy called before lowering his voice considerably. "I'll handle getting him to the lab again; all you need to do is cover the rest...and make sure you have a gun with you." He informed, leaning back and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Oh and after this is all over with, I don't want you staying at the lab after hours anymore."

Claire opened her mouth to protest, to inform him that he wasn't her brother and that she could take care of herself but he just put up a hand, effectively shushing her before she could even begin.

"Remember, working late is what got you in this mess in the first place. Now let's get in the kitchen and help Becks, I'm starved."

* * *

_Tuesday, 10:30 pm; Terra Save Laboratories_

Claire knew Billy would come through for her, he'd been very confident about his skills in getting HUNK back to the lab for her but that didn't stop her from pulling her gun on the blond man when she found him sitting at her desk after returning from the break room. HUNK didn't seem offended by her act of aggression though, even going so far as to laugh at her as she lowered her weapon.

"I know the mask can be a little intimidating but women usually don't pull guns on me, especially when they've requested my presence." He laughed, removing his mask and laying it on the desk as she holstered her gun.

The young Redfield glared at him as she regained her composure. "Don't you ever knock?" She questioned, walking over and sitting on the edge of her desk, finding herself strangely comfortable around him. It was a lot easier to talk to him when he didn't have that blasted mask on.

"Do you always greet people with a gun to the face?" He countered as he leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk and resting his chin in his hands.

Claire glared at him again before deciding to not let his comments affect her; she'd never get anything done if she let him get to her.

"Well for once I'm glad to see you," she began, taking in how his eyes widened a little at the honesty in her tone. "I need you to do something for me."

HUNK's expression was neutral but his icy eyes were alight with laughter.

"Stop staring at me like that and just listen." Claire snapped, not liking the feelings one look from him evoked in her or how relaxed her body became when he watched her with barely concealed amusement, much like he was now.

_I'm just starved for male attention _she thought, knowing that Raccoon, Rockfort and Harvardville had put a major damper on her personal life.

"The government has already started searching for you and the samples you stole from them and since I already have detailed information on the samples, I need you to get rid of the virus and vaccine you gave me." She explained, watching as he leant back in his seat, propping his feet up on the desk so that they rested beside her.

Claire held her breath as he rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully and she briefly wondered what it would feel like on the palm of her hand.

_Stop that! _Her mind yelled. _After you leave here you can screw the first man you see but don't you dare start thinking about _him _like that, _it screamed, warning her against her current train of thought. _And you talk about Leon's working habits...hypocrite._

She shook her head, trying to clear all thought from her mind as she turned her full attention back to the man sitting before her.

"I believe I can do that," he started, looking her over before his eyes met her own. "What about payment?"

Claire sighed; she'd been waiting for this. "I'll be honest--"

"That's always best." He cut in, prompting another glare from her before she continued on.

"I don't have the money you most likely demand for this type of job so...name your price. Anything you want, just name it, and it's yours."

If he hadn't been silently laughing at her before, he was definitely doing so now, his expression just screamed it.

"Anything?" He inquired, a suggestive undertone layering his voice, and Claire groaned at the look in his eyes.

It seemed that a man was a man no matter how much of a work-a-holic he may come off as; at that point, Claire wouldn't have been surprised if Albert Wesker was revealed to be a certified pervert. "I'm kidding," he quickly amended at her groan. "No matter how tempting it is..."

His voice had dropped an octave and Claire fought the shiver that ran down her spine, opting for rolling her eyes instead. "I'm flattered," she mumbled sarcastically, knowing that somewhere deep down inside her, she was. "Now are you going to tell me what you want? I've been here for twelve hours and I'm ready for a long bath and some rest."

There went that amused stare again and Claire knew that its appearance meant bye-bye to her irritated front.

"Where's the sample and the cure?" He asked suddenly, setting his feet back on the floor and making her snap to attention.

"Top drawer on your right," she provided, watching as he took the box he'd given her out and put it in the pocket of his tactical vest.

She knew how dangerous it was to keep something like that, protective box or no, in her desk but she couldn't take the chance of Rebecca or anyone else seeing it in the containment unit and asking questions.

As soon as the box was in his possession, HUNK stood and started for the door, putting his mask back on as he went.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be stopping, Claire stood and turned toward him.

"What about your payment?" She called out, making him stop at the door.

"Just be prepared to cash in when I come calling and we'll call it even for now." He responded, husky voice slightly distorted through the material of the mask.

"But--" Claire began stepping forward, stopping as he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I trust you Ms. Redfield." And with that, he was gone.

Sighing, Claire turned back to her desk and plopped down in the seat he'd just vacated. She was in his debt, at his mercy in a way and as she thought on it, she found that she wasn't particularly fond of the idea; all she could do now was sit and wait for him to come around again.

"I wish he'd trust me a little less."

* * *

_**Ending A/N: **__Okay, second attempt at RE fanfic and the second installment in the Terra Save Chronicles and it was kind of a cliffhanger but I'm still getting used to writing connected one-shots; there will be a follow up on his payment, though so stay tuned. Please remember to review, even if you didn't like the fic; if you didn't though, try to tell me why you didn't like it and what I can improve on. I appreciate all reviews, as long as they don't flame me, the fic or the pairing. Well thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day. _

_-Midnight Larkin. _


	3. And so it remains

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own Resident Evil or the characters._

_**A/N: **__It's been a while since the last time I updated this but I haven't forgotten about it. I've been working on the third installment for a while but I started in one direction and ended up with this one, which is so very different from where I started out. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this fic so far, these characters, as well as this pairing; both need a bigger fan-base. Please forgive any spelling or grammatical errors, my editing system is on the fritz. _

_Well I hope you enjoy and please, please remember to review._

* * *

_And so it remains..._

_Sunday, 10:30 pm; Claire Redfield's Apartment_

Claire sighed as she walked into her living room and collapsed on her couch, she really needed to clean her apartment more; maybe if she did she wouldn't be so worn out on her only day off. It was her first day off in three months and she'd vowed to clean up her living space so that she wouldn't be living like her brother and it had literally taken all day. Rubbing her eyes, Claire didn't think she even had the strength to make it to her bed.

Just as she started to drift off into a peaceful slumber, a knock at the door roused her from sleep.

"Not...happening..." She groaned, rolling off the couch onto her knees. She clamored to her feet using the cushions for support as another knock echoed throughout the room. "I'm coming," she called weakly, slowly but surely making her way towards the door.

Looking through the peep-hole, she saw no one and was just about to walk away when she heard shuffling outside in the hall. Against her better judgment she opened the door, unarmed, and looked around the hall but was surprised to find nothing.

Claire stood in the doorway for a moment, truly puzzled and more than a little irritated that she had just dragged herself to the door for nothing and was about to go back inside when she saw something move in the shadows. Silently cursing herself for just having to have that corner apartment, she cautiously moved toward the shadow.

"Hello...?"

No answer.

"Is anyone there?" She tried again, creeping closer.

Just when she was beginning to believe her fatigue had been playing tricks on her, a large body stumbled forward, making her take a startled step back.

It was HUNK. A bloodied, beaten and barely conscious HUNK but it was him she was sure, though it had been months since she'd seen him last, since they'd made their deal.

"What are you-" She began only to stop as his body began to fall forward.

Acting on pure instinct, Claire rushed forward to catch him - grabbing his arm and helping him lift it around her shoulders.

"What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time...?" She muttered, struggling to hold his weight up.

After a few seconds of heavy silence, he began to mumble, obviously trying to say something but his words were lost to a groan as she shifted her weight to support him better, making him wince in pain. Once she had settled and he was stable, HUNK began to try and speak again but his low timbre was quickly drowned out by an approaching conversation.

_"Hurry up! I know I saw him run in here," _Someone yelled.

HUNK's body tensed as the voice reached them and Claire felt her own body lock up at his discomfort.

"Come on," she started frantically, somehow knowing that this man and whoever he had been yelling at were the people responsible for HUNK's condition. "We've gotta get you in my apartment. Can you walk?"

A weak nod was her only answer but she was no longer paying attention as she tightened her grip on the arm around her shoulders and curled her other arm around his waist, pulling him into a walk that was clearly too fast for his condition.

"Come on," Claire urged quietly. "Just a little further...that's it..."

HUNK heard her voice, noted the kindness and genuine concern - a concern that wasn't rooted to the fear of what would happen to her or to the fact that she was with him but a concern that was truly worried about him - and pushed his body to go faster. He wouldn't let them get her, he couldn't.

Claire let out a relieved breath as they finally made it to the doorway of her apartment and she let him go for a moment, leaving him to rest against the wall as she glanced back in the hall.

_"Why'd I have to get stuck with you? He'll be gone by the time we get up here!" _

There was that voice again and it was a lot closer than before.

Panic coursed through her at the harshness of the tone and she hurriedly backed into her apartment and quietly closed the door, triple locking it and sliding the chain in place before turning back to her unexpected guest.

If at all possible, he looked even worse than she'd originally thought now that she was able to see him better.

"My god, what happened to you?" She whispered, tentatively touching the front of his tactical vest as he shifted against the wall, breathing unevenly.

"Reconnaissance...WilPharma...wrong information...Wesker..." His voice was huskier than normal and she tried to fight the shivers it sent through her body as she felt the rumble it created vibrate through his vest; now was so_ not _the time for her hormones to go haywire.

He tried to continue but broke off into a pain filled moan as he tried to get more comfortable. "Don't worry, I think I get the picture..." she trailed, lightly taking a hold of his arm and placing it back around her shoulders. "Alright, into bed you go-"

"No," he began, trying to stand his ground and stop her from leading him further into the apartment but he wasn't strong enough and only succeeded in giving her total control of his movements. "I can't, I just...wait until they leave and I'll be gone..."

"Over my dead body, you're not in any position to go anywhere, now help me out here. You're not the smallest person in the world, you know."

Something stirred in HUNK at her demanding tone; he shouldn't have even come here and imposed himself upon her. He didn't know how he found himself at her apartment or why he ran there instead of making his way across town to his own but he did and even though she was his enemy, for lack of a better term, he somehow knew she would help him, even if she hadn't owed him.

"Come on," she demanded again, the hand on his back pushing him forward a little.

Just when they entered her room and she was able to unload his weight onto the bed, someone knocked on her door.

"Oh shit," Claire mumbled, shooting a nasty look at her companion, who actually had the grace to look sheepish.

Sucking in air and letting it out in the form of a groan, Claire glanced around her room for her robe. She couldn't go out to the door without something over her clothes, her entire right side was now soaked with second-hand blood. Letting out a triumphant "ah-ha", she ran across the room to her bathroom and came out a second later with a dark pink, thigh length robe on over her work clothes.

"All the blood covered?" She asked, twirling in front of him as the knocking continued, stopping mid-twirl as a husky chuckle filled the air.

"All the blood is covered but those pants don't really go with the ensemble." He laughed, wincing as he did so.

Claire shot a puzzled look down at herself before noticing the jeans sticking out of the bottom of her robe. Rolling her eyes, she reached underneath the robe and unbuttoned the offending garment, shimmying out of the jeans and letting them pool around bare feet.

Stepping out of them, she tried again. "Better?"

HUNK's heated gaze swept over the newly uncovered skin and he nodded dumbly, watching as she rushed from the room and to the front door calling to the person on the other side to wait. He listened as she opened the door and silently cursed his sore muscles; he wanted to be able to see what was going on.

"Can I help you?" Claire asked, looking through the cracked door and out at a blond haired man with dark glasses. It unnerved her how much he looked like Albert Wesker but she tossed that idea aside when he took off his glasses and sent her a handsome smirk.

In her experience, Wesker had no time for pleasantries, even before the Raccoon City incident and he never took his glasses off; besides, Wesker needed no one to help him take care of business, especially not that wimpy looking man who stood behind the blond.

"Yes. Miss, we're looking for a man...he's about six two and should be wearing black tactical gear that would have matched this," he explained, holding up HUNK's black gas-mask.

Struggling to keep her face indifferent, Claire shook her head. "I'm sorry; I haven't seen anyone come by here."

The man looked at her for a moment before turning back to his partner behind him. They carried on a small whispered conversation as Claire watched on in barely concealed irritation; she should be inside tending to HUNK.

_Tending to _him_? What am I thinking? _She silently wondered, internally chastising herself while the two men in front of her ignored her as though she wasn't even there.

After a moment, the blond haired man turned back to her, shaking her from her thoughts. "Well we appreciate your cooperation, thank you for your time."

Claire nodded, sporting an insincere smile as she closed the door and reset the locks.

Sighing, she turned and walked back into her room to find HUNK shifting uncomfortably on her bed. Using the tone that she'd heard Rebecca use when treating patients so many times before she asked: "Alright, where does it hurt?"

He stared at her for a moment before plastering a roguish smirk on his face and replying, "Everywhere."

Rolling her eyes, Claire made her way to the bathroom; stripping herself of the robe as she went, she revealed a form-fitting, blood-soaked t-shirt and a pair of boy-short underwear. "Very funny but seriously, where does it hurt the most?" She called, rummaging through her cabinets for a first aid kit.

"There's a knife wound on my left thigh and one of those bastards shot me in the arm," he informed as Claire reentered the room. "The rest is just superficial."

Nodding she came to stand in front of him, setting the first aid kit on the bed. "Strip," she demanded, laughing a little as his eyes widened and he began to shake his head. "No time for modesty, either strip now or deal with infection later."

HUNK sighed at her no-non sense tone and reluctantly began to take off his vest.

"Want to tell me the whole story, now?" Claire inquired as she took a seat on the bed, a triumphant smile adorning her face.

Her companion tossed a nasty look over his shoulder, throwing his vest at her before he started to work on his shirt. "Not in particularly, no."

She scoffed as she caught the vest, fiddling around with it as he continued rid himself of his clothes. "Fair enough," she said finally, smirking a little as he turned abruptly, a confused look crossing his handsome features.

"That's it?"

"That's it." She confirmed, covertly admiring his bare chest as the shirt finally fell to the bed.

"No nagging or prodding?"

"Nope. I'm your acquaintance, not your girlfriend." Claire reminded with a girlish giggle.

HUNK nodded ruefully before turning fully to face her. "I'm stripped."

Claire shot him a hard glare. "Pants too," she instructed.

He started shaking his head even before her words fully registered. "I'm already naked from the waist up, isn't that enough?"

"Not when you have a knife wound on your thigh now you either strip yourself or I'll do it for you; your choice." Her tone was harsh, maybe a little harsher than she'd intended so she paused and when she spoke again her words were gentler. "I'm trying to help you out here; you have to give me a leg to stand on."

HUNK sighed deeply; what was it about this woman...no this girl - she had to be at least ten years his junior - that made him forget everything? Just the soft tone of her voice made him give into her, made him bow to her whim.

"Stupid...pretty eyed girls...with nice voices..." He grumbled unbuckling his pants. "You know one of these days you're going to meet a guy that can resist that cute little innocent look of yours." He informed, glaring at her laughing face as he pushed his pants down and stepped out of them.

Claire was still laughing when she stood from the bed and motioned for him to take a seat. "Cute little innocent look?" She questioned, grabbing the first aid kit.

HUNK nodded indignantly, frowning as she continued to laugh at him but his frown quickly transformed into a look of discomfort when he felt her cool hands run over his thigh.

This was not good.

She was so close and he could faintly smell the magnolia scented body wash she used, hidden under the scent of dust. Trying to focus on anything but the feel of her against him, his eyes moved from her working hands to her face, beautiful and hard set with fierce determination and he could faintly see a streak of dirt under her eye.

HUNK fisted the sheets beneath him; for some unknown reason, that little streak of dirt made little Ms. Redfield the most attractive woman he'd ever seen and not many women could pull of a streak of dirt. In truth, even before the dirt, she was most likely one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen because she was real. Her everyday garb consisted of jeans and t-shirts with the occasional leather vest and that was all she needed to be attractive. She didn't have to cake on make-up or don a mini-skirt to be irresistible, she could just be herself and the sexiness other women worked so hard for followed on its own.

Groaning, HUNK turned his eyes to the ceiling; it was going to be a long night.

At his sound of discomfort Claire removed her hands and looked up sheepishly. "Sorry."

HUNK looked down at her, to assure her that it wasn't her fault, and immediately regretted it. The sight of her kneeling between his legs, looking up at him with that little streak of dirt on her face, concern and kindness shining in her eyes for _him_; it was too much.

"No...Ugh, it's not you." He rushed, quickly diverting his eyes to glare at the wall behind her.

Claire nodded, seeming to understand. "I see..." She whispered, going back to work on bandaging his thigh. "I wouldn't think on it too much, this could have happened to anyone." She started, pausing to squeeze his knee reassuringly.

HUNK tensed and let out another groan; his reputation _should_ be what he was thinking about, it should be the most important thing right now, instead he was completely focused on her.

"Yeah..." he trailed, breathing a sigh of relief as she removed her hands from his leg and sat beside him on the bed.

"Turn this way." She instructed, reaching out to help him switch positions.

HUNK did as he was told and stayed silent as she set to work on his arm; it didn't take long for her to find the bullet, remove it and stitch him up.

"Well there you go," Claire informed, standing from the bed and scooping up his clothes before he could reach them. "You can take the bed tonight and I'll sleep on the couch but right now I'm going down to the laundry room to wash this stuff; you stay put."

"I'm not staying the night," he started, standing up quickly. The movement was too much for his leg, though and he let out a moan before stumbling back and collapsing on the bed.

"Because you're definitely in a position to travel across town." She commented dryly. "You're staying here the night and that's final." HUNK started to protest but she just shook her head and picked up her laundry basket, hiding the tactical clothing under her more delicate items just in case those two creeps from earlier were still running around. "I'd like to see you get home in your underwear."

HUNK groaned and fell back on the bed, watching as she gathered up her robe and wrapped it around herself.

Clare laughed and with a triumphant smile said: "There's a clean towel and wash rag in the shower and Chris' old robe is in the closet. The wash and dry cycle takes about an hour so get cleaned up, you look like hell."

And with that she was gone from the room and soon, the apartment.

* * *

A while later HUNK was wandering around the apartment, his lower half wrapped in a towel as he surveyed his surroundings. He was a little surprised at how clean it was, Claire always seemed like such a messy person to him; she came off as the type of woman who would be so married to her work that other areas of her life would suffer. HUNK supposed that at least part of his assumption was correct seeing as how the only pictures decorating her apartment were of the little brunette she worked with, the ex-marine that had contacted him a while back, the brunette he'd first seen her with and a buff man that bore a striking resemblance to her.

HUNK chuckled to himself as he reached out and grabbed one of the pictures on the coffee table. It was an average eight by ten of two children at a park, a boy and a girl to be exact. The boy was noticeably older and had the little girl hefted up on his shoulders and it only took a moment to figure out who the boy and girl were. One look at the unique Maltese-color of the little girls eyes told him that the girl was Claire; the boy and girl favored and HUNK assumed the boy was the buff man in many of her other photos.

_Must be that brother of hers, the one Wesker's always yammering on about, _he mused as he set the picture back down and walked back to the bedroom.

Remembering what Claire had said about a robe, HUNK made his way over to her closet. The first thing that greeted him when he opened the door were various motorcycle appropriate outfits but pushing past those, HUNK found two simple dresses and a nice pant suit.

_So she's not much for dressing fancy..._and somehow, that didn't surprise him.

All the way in the back, past a nightgown or two, HUNK finally came upon a black robe that was obviously created for the male figure. Praying it would fit his slightly large form, he quickly shed his towel, slipped on the robe and tied the belt. It was a tad snug but, for some reason, a swell of pride filled him at the thought that he was larger than this Chris person she'd mentioned.

Just as HUNK was shutting the closet, he heard the front door creak open and looked in the living room to see Claire peaking in.

"Hope you're decent." She called as she stepped in cautiously, trying to enter, laundry basket and all, through the small crack of the door.

Chuckling, HUNK walked forward and took the basket from her.

"Thanks," she began, eyes sweeping over him. "You look better...a lot better."

He nodded and slowly made his way over to the couch to set the basket down.

"Still a little sore?" Claire questioned, making her way into the bathroom and coming out a second later with a pill bottle. "Heads up."

HUNK raised his head just in time to see the bottle and command his hand to reach for it, snatching it from the air when it was just inches from his face. He looked as though he were about to speak but was cut off as a shrill ringing echoed throughout the room.

Claire hurried into the kitchen, where her cell phone sat patiently on the counter and answered the phone as HUNK took two painkillers.

"Hello...Hey, Chris!...No...It's around one in the morning here...How's Europe?...And Jill?...Well that's good...No, no surprise visits..."

HUNK noticed her glance in his direction, a weary smile on her face, and smirked at her in return.

"Oh he has..."

Her tone changed then and so did her look; she no longer smiled at him, her eyes became hard and she looked away before starting to speak again.

"I'm fine...Yes I promise...Chris I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself...Yes I'm armed...I promise I'll be careful...Yes...And I love you...Say hello to Jill for me...And I love her...Okay...Alright...Bye."

HUNK didn't know what to make of all the_ I love yous _but he definitely knew he didn't like the look on her face when she turned to him.

"What?" he questioned warily. "What happened?"

Claire stared at him for a moment before returning her phone to the counter and shaking her head. "Nothing...it's just..." She stopped and looked at him for another minute. "It's nothing. Well I have an early day tomorrow, court and what not, so I should probably get cleaned up and head to bed..."

As much as he wanted to nod, accept her hastily concocted answer and get some sleep, he couldn't; the mistrust on her face wouldn't let him. Before he could confront her about it, she took off toward her room at a quick pace and he followed her without a second thought.

When he reached her room, he found her sifting through one of the drawers of her dresser. He stood in the doorway for a moment waiting for her to acknowledge him and when she didn't, he took a step toward her.

Claire jumped at the sudden movement before returning her attention to the drawer in front of her.

"Alright, what was that call about?" He demanded, leaning against the wall between the door and the dresser.

Claire gave no outward sign that she'd heard him, just placed two towels and a wash rag on top of the dresser before opening another drawer.

Sighing at her odd behavior, HUNK moved a little closer, causing the woman in front of him freeze up.

"Something must have been said or you wouldn't be so skittish..." He trailed, eyes running down her robe clad form before trailing down her legs.

"I'm not skittish," she responded weakly as she returned to hastily digging through her underwear drawer.

Rolling his eyes, HUNK stepped forward, taking in how her whole body stiffened even as she tried to remain indifferent. A deep chuckle escaped him before he could help it and, without thinking, he came to stand behind her, trapping her between his body and the dresser.

Claire turned around to face him, an indignant look on her face. "I'm not some child and I won't be intimidated by you." She informed, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I say nothing's wrong, nothing's wrong."

"Well if nothing's wrong, you wouldn't be so defensive. What did Chris say?" He questioned, practically growling out the other man's name.

"Maybe Chris just reminded me which side I'm on...which side _you're_ on." Her voice was strong but her eyes left his and she looked down at the floor.

Something passed behind HUNK's eyes before his determined stare turned into a glare. "You know somehow I get the feeling that what side I'm on isn't the problem; it didn't stop you from getting your marine body-guard to contact me and it didn't stop you from helping me out tonight. What's really going on here, Redfield?"

"Why did Wesker send you here?"

HUNK looked taken aback for a minute before realization crept onto his face. Chris was the name of her brother, Wesker's enemy and that call was most likely to remind her that Wesker was keeping tabs on her - which he was but HUNK wasn't in charge of that. Why hadn't it dawned on him before? And here he was, acting the part of a jealous boyfriend, like he had any right.

Bringing his arms up and propping his hands on the dresser, HUNK leaned in toward her. "You'd better listen up, Ms. Redfield, because I'm only going to say this once: I didn't come here tonight on orders from Wesker, I came here because, as much as I hate to admit it, I needed help and you owed me. I'm not here to steal information from Terra Save or to send the Redfield clan into an uproar by kidnapping you or making some sort of threat against your life. Wesker doesn't know I'm here and, as far as I know, neither do his other lackeys so relax. I may be one of the bad guys but I don't make a habit of harming women."

Claire was stunned into silence by his little speech and HUNK waited patiently for her to regain her bearings. As quick witted as the Redfield's were, that didn't take long and Claire once again raised her eyes to his. Nodding, she turned back to the open drawer, took out a fresh pair of underwear and gathered her towels.

HUNK watched her leave before readying himself for a good night's sleep; it really had been a long day.

* * *

HUNK woke up the next morning around five thirty, feeling more refreshed than he had in ages. Sitting up and stretching, he found that his tactical gear had been laid out on the bed along with his hand washed boxers - she must have cleaned them herself after he'd fallen asleep.

Dressing quickly, HUNK prepared to leave but when he entered the living area, he found the extra blankets Claire had used folded neatly on the couch and a piece of paper taped to the front door. He could smell the aroma of freshly cooked bacon and eggs as he walked to the front door to read the note and gauged that Claire had only recently left. After easing the note off the door so as not to mess up the expensive-looking finish, he walked back toward the kitchen and sat down at the table.

_HUNK,_

_I was called into work early but I set out your clothes and left you some breakfast in the oven. You'll probably want to be leaving early so I left a key to the apartment on the kitchen table so that you can lock up when you leave._

_We didn't really talk about what happened last night and I won't be back before you leave so I guess I'll have to speak my peace now. I'm sorry for the way I treated you; you've never done anything to betray my trust, limited as it is, and I had no right to speak to you that way. _

_As far as I'm concerned, I didn't really do much last night, therefore my debt isn't paid in full yet. Don't worry about returning the key, that way if you ever run into any trouble my door is always open, day or night. _

_I don't know when I'll see you again so...try not to get yourself killed. _

_-C. Redfield_

HUNK leaned back in his chair, shocked; not only had little Ms. Redfield apologized but she was leaving a key to her apartment in his hands indefinitely. Claire Redfield sure was something else, not like anyone he'd ever met before in his life. She was perhaps one of the kindest and most humane people he'd ever met yet she always kept a shield up around herself and hardly ever let anyone into her personal life...but she _was _letting him in, however small the allowance, and he couldn't help but feel honored.

He was no good, he was a bad seed and she was about as good as they got; he would do nothing but taint her.

Sighing, HUNK pocketed the note and the key left on table before searching for a pen and another piece of paper. Ripping a sheet of paper off the magnetic note-pad on the refrigerator and snatching the pen from the holder at the top, he quickly jotted down a message.

_Ms. Redfield,_

_I humbly thank you for opening your home to me; your kindness won't easily be forgotten. I take your key with the promise that it won't be used against you in any way and pray that I won't ever have to impose myself on you the way I have these past few hours again. _

Thinking a moment, HUNK reluctantly added one last line to the note before replacing the pen and leaving the apartment, locking up before he exited the building.

* * *

_Alright, it took forever but here it is: the third installment in the Terra Save Chronicles. I really had hoped this would have been completed sooner but it seemingly took forever to finish; I promise the next update will come quicker. Well I hope the wait was worth it and I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far; you guys are wonderful. _

_Please remember to review and have a wonderful day all. _

_-Lark_


	4. And so I've missed you

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do NOT own Resident Evil or the characters. _

_**A/N:**__ I want to thank everyone who reviewed for the last one-shot, you guys are wonderful and your reviews mean the world to me! Thank you. _

_Enjoy and please, please, __**PLEASE**__ remember to review. _

* * *

_And so I've missed you..._

_Wednesday, 11:37 pm; Terra Save Laboratories_

"I'm heading home, Claire," Rebecca called from the lab, throwing her lab coat in the general direction of a lab table and glancing at her watch as it missed and hit the floor. "I should have been home hours ago." She groaned.

Claire laughed and stood from her desk, stretching as she walked out to the lab.

"I told you to leave at nine but would you listen to me? No." A tired look marred her usually lively features and it made her friend's brow crease in concern. "Now you've missed whatever surprise the Lieutenant had for your anniversary, he's probably livid."

Rebecca laughed dryly. "Oh I texted him earlier and told him to cancel..."

"Rebecca Chambers, I can't believe you! You have a man who is thoughtful enough to remember your anniversary and romantic enough to actually_ plan _something and you throw that away to stay here and work? I'm disappointed." Claire_ tsked_, shaking her head as Rebecca playfully slapped her arm.

"It was all for a good cause, Billy knows how important this WilPharma conviction is and besides, he doesn't want you staying here by yourself any more than I do. He's really worried, Claire and frankly, so am I; you haven't been the same these past few months."

Claire sighed, she was getting so tired of having this conversation, it did nothing but upset her and made her think of..._him_.

"It's just this case, Becks," she explained feebly. "If I'm not here at the lab, I'm at court and if I'm not at court, I'm in the conference room and if I'm not there, I'm at home gathering any and everything that can be used on the case." Sighing again, Claire raked her hands through her lengthy hair. "I'm just worn out, this conviction is taking much longer than I expected. After the case is over and everything returns to normal I'll feel better."

"No more working late nights?" The tiny brunette looked hopeful as she posed the question; she really was worried about her friend, even going so far as to call Chris a few months back with her concerns.

"No more working late nights," Claire confirmed, smiling softly as Rebecca lunged at her, wrapping her into a tight hug.

"That's all I wanted to hear," the younger female chirped brightly. "Well I'd better get home; you don't stay here too much longer okay? You're getting dark circles," she warned, pointing to her eyes as she turned and left the lab.

Claire laughed a little as she watched her go before returning to their shared office and sinking into her chair. Propping her elbows on the desk as she leant forward and put her head in her hands, Claire felt the pull of sleep calling out to her. Despite her efforts to stay awake, her head dropped forward off her hands and came dangerously close to hitting the desk. She was only saved when she jumped awake at the sudden position change and leaned back in her chair.

Sighing, Claire reached into one of her desk drawers and pulled out an old, crinkled cigarette pack that only contained about four cigarettes. Leaning up a little, she reached into her back pocket and felt around for Chris' old Zippo as she lifted one of the cigarettes to her mouth; maybe a shot of nicotine would keep her up long enough to finish the report she was working on and drive home.

Reaching into one of her desk drawers she took out a small ashtray and placed it on her desk before making her way to the office door and slamming it shut - it was reckless to smoke with all those chemicals around and even though closing the door didn't help much, it made her groggy mind feel a little better. Pacing back to her chair and lighting up, Claire let her mind wander; first to the WilPharma case, then to her brother and Jill in Europe and lastly to HUNK.

No matter what was going on or what she was dealing with, it seemed that she always had time to think of him and though it ashamed her to admit, she was a little worried. Claire hadn't seen him since the night he sought refuge in her apartment and the last she'd heard from him was the note she found when she got home from work the next day...that seemed like so long ago.

Sure there had been little signs over time that he had been in her home but it was never anything that was horribly noticeable, nothing concrete. There would be times when she would wake up in the morning to find that her first aid kit had been left out on the bathroom counter but when she inspected the surrounding area, there was never any blood or mess, not even in the trash. Then there was that one morning when she was getting ready for work and found tiny droplets of water clinging to the wall of her shower, indicating that someone had showered recently when she knew for a fact that she hadn't used the shower since the night before.

To this day Claire never knew what he had used to dry off with, all of her towels had still been clean and in the closet in the hall and it always puzzled her what he did with the remnants of the first aid supplies he used. He was a clean house guest, she'd give him that; if the Redfield's weren't observant by nature, she never would have known he'd been there.

Out of all the things he did that confused her, though, the biggest one was why he never woke her up the nights he came to her apartment injured. Claire knew from experience that doctoring on one's self was a bitch and self-doctored wounds never healed as quickly as wounds taken care of by someone else. Rebecca once told her it had to do with the thoroughness of the disinfecting process; it was always easier to disinfect someone else than it was yourself, especially when you were dealing with those hard to reach places.

Claire sighed before taking a long drag of her cigarette and opening the bottom drawer on the left side of her desk. The top of her desk, unlike Rebecca's, was impersonal - no photos, or trinkets to be found anywhere - but she couldn't work the long hours she did without_ anything _personal around her and that was what her bottom drawer was for. Her bottom drawer contained many things such as her mother's locket, Chris' Air Force training graduation photo, the gun Leon had given her that fateful night in Raccoon City and the teddy bear Forest had won for her at Raccoon's annual carnival - it had, unfortunately, been his last carnival...Raccoon's last carnival. The latest addition to the sacred drawer of Claire Redfield's past, present and precious memories was the note HUNK had left for her and even as she reached for it, she couldn't recall why she had put it there but knew that it just seemed right.

Claire thumped her ashes into the tiny ashtray to her right before rereading the note.

_Ms. Redfield,_

_I humbly thank you for opening your home to me; your kindness won't easily be forgotten. I take your key with the promise that it won't ever be used against you in any way and hope that I won't ever have to impose myself on you the way I have the past few hours again. _

_This world is full of evil people, Ms. Redfield, remember that. _

_-Jackson_

Claire was unsure if Jackson was his first name or last name and would never use it without spoken permission - his profession didn't allow such things, it wasn't safe - but it made her blush to think that he entrusted part of his true identity with her, his enemy. As little as it was to go on, the people they both dealt with were resourceful enough to find a way to gain more information from this one little gem and it could cause some serious problems for him, problems she found that she didn't want him to have to deal with.

Dropping the note back into its rightful place and slamming the drawer, Claire took another long puff of her cigarette.

What was happening to her? Where had this sudden affection for HUNK come from? He was her enemy, wasn't he? Aside from pursuing Jill and herself for information, he had never done anything remotely hostile to her... If they weren't enemies, what were they?

Claire stopped her train of thought right there, those were dangerous waters to tread and she didn't feel like going down that road right now.

Jackson...HUNK wasn't the type of man who stuck around for a long time, even his visits to her apartment were sporadic and, she guessed, only made when he was in some serious shit. Even the night she had let him in herself he had seemed reluctant to stay. Even when she had found him in the hallway - barely able to hold himself up - there was an air of unease about him, an air that told her he was either not comfortable with being at her home or with her seeing him in such a condition; which one was the actual answer, she wasn't sure.

Thoughts like those made her mind branch off into other areas, areas that questioned his motives for easing her mind after Chris' call that night - a call she had later found out was prompted by a call made to Chris from Rebecca.

What was his game? Had he thought she would kick him out because of her unease? Surely not, she would never do such a thing! She doubted she would even be able to leave Albert Wesker in that condition with people after his life and he was the main reason her own life was in shambles to begin with.

Shaking her head and finishing the last of her cigarette, Claire decided that thinking about him would do nothing but drive her crazy and prevent her from finishing her work; she'd never get home at this rate.

With a clear mind, dirty lungs and new resolve the youngest Redfield set to work and hoped she'd be able to make it home before her six o'clock shift tomorrow.

* * *

Four hours, three old cigarettes and a report and a half later Claire stumbled to the door of her apartment with a pile of manila folders under her arm, completely drained of any and all energy those little spurts of nicotine had given her.

"Must...sleep...too...tired...to open...door..." Her mumbling teetered off into a groan as her head fell against the door, hands fumbling around her person for the key to her apartment.

After what felt like hours of seeking and not finding Claire let out another groan and moved to her bag. She really hoped she hadn't been so careless as to throw her key in the glorified mess she called a make-shift purse and, on any other night, she would have just carried the key to the door in her hand but with all the files and such...anything was possible.

Just as she opened her bag to begin her digging, the door to her apartment flew open and she was sent crashing into a large, sturdy body. There were only four men she had ever _willingly_ associated herself with that had a build like that, that would _ever_ have a key to her living quarters but seeing as how Chris was in Europe, Billy was either asleep or thoroughly sexing up his girlfriend and Forest was no longer among the living, that narrowed the identity of the person in her apartment down considerably.

Before she could speak, ask him why he was there, if he was okay or even right herself, she was hefted up into a pair of strong arms that carried into her apartment.

She vaguely heard the door close and hardly registered her files and bag being taken from her, the only thing that made it through her grogginess and into her consciousness was the warmth of the arms around her and the feel of her bed against her back as the arms left her.

"What the hell are you doing coming home at a quarter to four?"

Claire groaned and rolled over on her side, curling up into a ball. "Ugh, I'm too tired for a lecture,_ dad_. I have to get whatever sleep I can before my shift at six."

"Six? You'd better be talking about PM," HUNK exclaimed, waving his hands around in the air.

Claire sat up abruptly and shook her head. "Well I'm not. There's a meeting between the defense attorney and the prosecuting attorney at six thirty - _AM_ -and I have to be there! I also have to finish those files I brought home and find some time to shower; I smell like some demented hospital," she explained, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing. "Not to mention that I have a headache the size of Vegas so if we have to lecture, let's try to refrain from yelling. My competence might be lacking but my hearing is fine."

HUNK couldn't help but smile despite her biting words; this girl really was something. He'd never met a woman with enough strength, enough confidence to stand up to a man three times her size, tired or not.

His smile faded when she pushed passed him and made her way to the bathroom.

"Where are you going," he demanded following her.

"To wash off this Frankenstein's castle smell I've got going. I have a feeling it won't go well with my beige pant suit." She laughed humorlessly, reaching for the handle to her bathroom door but HUNK slid in front of her before she could complete her goal.

"Can't that wait until you've slept? You'll probably fall asleep in the shower in your condition."

"Condition? I'm tired, not pregnant and no, it can't wait until I've slept. I always take my showers before bed because I always sleep in later than I should. I have a system; don't mess with my system, HUNK..." she warned sleepily.

Her blond haired companion moved not one inch at her warning, he actually seemed amused by it. In truth, if she were him, she'd be amused too.

"Fine," she huffed childishly. "This isn't my only bathroom, you know." And with that, she whirled around and quickly made her way to the door of her bedroom.

HUNK sighed and, with three easy strides, made it in front of her to shut the door but was surprised when she ran back the way she came and locked herself in her own bathroom with a triumphant laugh.

"Idiot! The other bathroom doesn't even have a shower."

HUNK moaned and slammed his fist against the door.

"Fine but when you fall because you can't hold yourself up, don't come crying to me," he yelled before collapsing on her bed; she was so stubborn.

He faintly heard the shower start through the wall as he leaned back, covering his eyes with his arm. He didn't know why he cared so much but he definitely knew that he shouldn't; they were acquaintances not friends...or more, he should keep his feelings to himself.

HUNK had never had this problem with a woman before, he never cared enough. He was a "married to your work" kind of guy who didn't have the time, patience or stability for anything other than one night stands - not that he had even found anyone interesting enough to spend more than one night with. In theory, even if he _had_ found someone he wanted to be with, his job made his life too dangerous to bring someone else into but with Claire it was different. She was raised by that headstrong brother of hers who, no doubt, brought her up on guns and war; she was raised for this kind of life. It didn't help matters that she was intelligent, kind, sarcastic and beautiful to boot but he tried to look past all that.

For the first time in his life, Clay Jackson cared about someone and it wasn't the pleasant feeling everyone made it out to be; he really didn't see what all the hype was about. It didn't make him feel warm and fuzzy inside it made him feel scared and terribly claustrophobic but that didn't mean it was an unwelcome feeling. Despite his concessions, he liked the idea of her being his in a twisted perverse sort of way because she could take care of herself.

In his time, since the beginning of his questionable profession, he'd left many a man_ and _woman behind to meet their deaths but he had the feeling that wouldn't be the case with her. Something in the way she carried herself told him that she could keep up, the fact that she was in the shower right now when she had most likely been up for an entire twenty four hours or more proved that even fatigue would not stop her when her mind was made up.

HUNK was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the water cut in the next room. Sighing, he figured it was only a matter of time before Claire reentered the bedroom and he silently wondered if he would be able to convince her not to go to work in a few hours; he was sure she wouldn't be of any help at that meeting.

As beautiful as she was, she had looked absolutely terrible when he'd opened the door and it was obvious she was exhausted. He really didn't know what he had expected when he'd heard a soft bang against the door but having the lovely Claire Redfield collapse against him definitely wasn't it, not that it was torture or anything.

He had known that something was wrong when he'd stumbled in at one thirty to patch himself up only to find her apartment completely empty and, as much as he hated to admit it, he had been worried. He knew that with Claire being watched by Wesker, and most likely many other enemies of the BSAA and Terra Save, anything could have happened to her. He had never been so relieved in his life than when she slumped against him, whole and unharmed but his relief had quickly turned to concern when she didn't right herself and he picked her up only to find her unresponsive.

Her body had been limp, her eyes closed and her usually tan skin pale in a most unhealthy way, not to mention those deep, dark, sunken in circles around her eyes; she looked like a ghost, a shell of the beauty she had been mere months before. He hadn't noticed the changes in her, he hadn't seen her awake since the day he left her apartment but he clearly remembered her lively spirit and biting sarcasm.

HUNK sat up as the bathroom door opened and Claire stepped out, wrapped in her robe and rubbing her wet hair with a towel.

"You're still here...?" She observed questioningly, stopping abruptly to stand in front of him.

He shrugged as she threw her towel on the bed. "Don't really have anywhere else to be right now."

She nodded, walking toward the kitchen with him in tow. "Well you're always welcome to stay for as long as you need to." The shower had obviously woken her up a little but she was still noticeably tired. "Where did you put those WilPharma files? I need to finish them," she inquired, digging through one of the kitchen drawers and pulling out yet another crinkled cigarette packet and an old disposable lighter.

HUNK's eyes widened a little in shock, she certainly didn't _seem_ like a smoker, and he had to dumbly ask her to repeat her question.

"Where are the files?" She sighed irately, lighting her cigarette and pulling out a little ashtray, much like the one at her office.

"In your room...you smoke?"

Claire laughed a little as she skirted around him and made her way back to her room. "It's not like I smoke religiously or anything, sometimes I just need a shot of nicotine to keep me up so that I can work longer hours. It's a habit I picked up from Chris."

HUNK nodded, watching as she returned to the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm working. These files have to be ready for that six thirty meeting."

Shaking his head and pulling her chair back from the table, HUNK bent over and picked her up. Claire dropped the file she'd been holding and struggled to hold onto her cigarette to keep from burning the apartment down.

"HUNK, I have to work," she weakly protested.

"No you don't, right now your first priority is to sleep," he informed, carrying her back to her room and laying her on the bed. "Where's your phone?"

"In my bag, wherever you put that..." she stated, surrendering her cigarette to him and watching as he tossed her purse to her before making his way to the bathroom and flushing her cancer stick. "What am I supposed to do with this?" She muttered when he reentered the room.

"You're going to call whoever you have to and get that meeting pushed back to the afternoon; you look like hell."

Sighing and figuring that was as close as she was going to get to an: "I care about what happens to you" she dug through her bag and extracted her phone. Quickly dialing hers and Rebecca's office number, she left a message explaining that she wasn't feeling well and they would have to push the meeting back to one thirty and to call everyone involved.

Hanging up the phone and dropping it back in her bag, Claire turned her head to glare at her companion. "One of the most important and influential meetings of my entire case has just been pushed back seven hours, happy now?"

Smirking, HUNK sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for her bag and throwing it to the floor as he did so. "Not really, you look like you need about twelve hours of sleep but this will have to do."

Claire laughed humorlessly as she playfully swatted him on the arm. "Well since you're forcing me to sleep, how about you set my alarm clock for eleven thirty so that I can finish those reports before the meeting?"

HUNK shook his head. "Nope."

"HUNK..." She groaned, dragging out the syllables of his codename. "You've already gotten me into bed the least you could do is set my alarm so I can get up on time."

The smirk on his face faded a little at her wording - did she really have to say it like that?

"Don't worry about the alarm," he assured, regaining a little of his smirk.

"But-"

"I'll be here to wake you up."

Claire's eyes widened a little and HUNK's smirk transformed into a smile. After a moment he gestured for her to close her eyes and began to get up only to stop when he felt a hand loosely grip his wrist.

"Thank you, HUNK."

A strange look came over his face as he turned his wrist in her grip and gently squeezed her hand. "Jackson."

Confusion marred her features and he sighed - she wasn't going to make this easy for him, was she?

"Jackson, it's my name. I prefer it to HUNK when conversing with the ladies," he joked, though there was a serious tone under his teasing words.

For some reason Claire's previous joy at being allowed a peak at his personal side was lost - the _ladies_, of course. Being the expert of saving face, her disappointed expression was quickly replaced by a convincing smile. She just had to buck up and keep her personal feelings out of this.

"Thank you, Jackson."

His eyes closed at the sound of his own name; it had been a long while since someone had called him that and even longer since his name had been whispered by a voice as sweet as hers. "'Least I could do," he mumbled gruffly as he reluctantly pulled away and retreated from the room. "You just get to sleep, don't worry about anything else."

His words relaxed her, calmed her into peacefulness and she fell asleep somehow knowing that everything would be alright with him there.

* * *

_Alright, here's the fourth chapter/one-shot in the Terra Save Chronicles - I'm not sure if they actually count as connected one-shots anymore...Well whatever it is, I've updated and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please, please, __**please**__ remember to review! I'm a tad discouraged from my lack of reviews - so I love all of you who do review even more! - and it's always nice to know I'm not writing for my health. _

_I'll try to update again soon and I hope you all have a wonderful day. _

_-Lark. _


	5. And so we grow closer

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do __**NOT**__ own Resident Evil or any of the characters. _

_**Author's Note: **__I want to thank everyone for reviewing - your continual support brings me joy, especially knowing that I'm not crazy and there are other people who enjoy reading HUNK/Claire. _

_Now this chapter is going to be a little more angsty than the others, I decided that things were getting a little fluffy a little fast, which is okay - especially since that happens in real life sometimes - but there needed to be a time where HUNK stepped back because he was uncomfortable with what was going on and where the events of the past caught up with Claire so here it is: drama galore. _

_I hope everyone enjoys this and forgives me for taking so long to update._

* * *

_And so we grow closer..._

_Tuesday, Midnight; Claire Redfield's Apartment_

HUNK groaned as he cleaned his arm and bandaged it - though he'd been somewhat avoiding her, disinfecting and bandaging one's own shoulder was a tough task.

It had been two months since Claire had come in, looking as though she were but a breath away from death's door and he'd had to take matters into his own hands and force her to slow down. Since that day he'd avoided coming to her home at all costs, even more so than usual; he was confused about his feelings and, rather than dealing with them, he opted to just avoid them - it was the way _he_ always dealt with things anyway.

Mercs didn't have feelings and, after the fall of Umbrella, that was essentially what he'd become.

After a month of ignoring the inevitable, however, he found himself in quite a fix and was forced to once again call upon his favor only to find the apartment completely empty. It had been rather late when he arrived and, thinking her to just be overworking herself again, he'd stuck around. He had ended up falling asleep and woke up the next day around noon, finding no sign anywhere to say that she'd been home the previous night at all.

The incident had put concern into his system and, though he worked as efficiently as always, he had to admit that he was worried for her and so that night he found himself in her living room but, once again, there was no her.

This routine went on for a few days before he began to check around for her.

It was obvious she was planning on coming back, all of her things were still in her apartment and he hadn't heard word from Wesker that she'd been captured, not that HUNK would be on the list of people told in any case. After checking around town and spying on her little brunette friend and the ex-marine, he was loathe to find that no one knew where she was.

No matter how much his constantly growing feelings for her bothered him, not knowing where she was bothered him all the more - it was an evil world that they lived in and her being out there alone couldn't be good.

HUNK was shaken from his thoughts by the front door opening and was just about to exit the bathroom to make himself known when he heard voices.

* * *

"I appreciate you escorting me home, Carlos but this really wasn't necessary."

The man in question chuckled and leaned against the wall just inside the doorway as she walked further into the apartment, setting her old book bag down on the couch and throwing her keys on the coffee table.

"Hey, I had orders from higher up." He laughed, even scoring a weak smile from the solemn young woman in front of him.

Claire rolled her eyes bitterly. "Yeah...remind me to thank Chris and the Lieutenant for that one."

A snort escaped her companion in response and he stepped forward to place a hand on her shoulder. "They were just worried about you - it was for your own good."

"I'm a big girl, Oliveira - I would have gotten home just fine even if you hadn't come, my bike still had a gallon." She sighed, tiredly running a hand over her face.

He stared at her for a moment before taking another step closer and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "It's a rough time of the year for everyone," he reminded smiling down at her wearily.

She nodded and leaned into him for a minute before turning to look at the clock hanging above the TV in her living room. "It's rather late..."

Carlos sighed and made a sound of agreement. "And as much as it pains me to say, bringing you back to Nevada isn't my only reason for being here - I've got an early day tomorrow."

"Still waltzing along the lines of bad and good," she questioned, mocking carefree airiness creeping into her voice.

He sighed dramatically and put a hand over his heart. "So is the life of a mercenary but I'm basically a good guy-"

"Because the bad guys never get the girl..." she interrupted, repeating the words she'd heard him speak before in response to inquiries of his affiliation.

"Not always, even Jill couldn't keep her hands off me and I was the bad guy then."

They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before erupting into laughter. It was funny because they both knew it wasn't true - Jill was completely in love with the eldest Redfield and everyone but she and Chris knew it.

After the laughter ceased, however, the serious mood of the evening returned and Carlos sobered, seeming to remember just why he was there in the first place.

"Look, I know this is really hard on you and...do you want me to stay the night?"

An elegant eyebrow rose in question and she crossed her arms in mock irritation.

Her companion raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and took a step back. "In a completely platonic way, of course. I'll be a perfect gentleman," he promised, a roguish smile creeping onto his face. "That is unless you tell me not to."

Some of the carefree, Claire Redfield sparkle came back to her for but a moment as she shook her head and playfully hit him in the arm. "You're crude."

"Ah, it's part of my charm - it's why you love me." A dismissive hand gesture accompanied the statement and Claire had to roll her eyes at his ever present smugness. "But seriously, you don't have to be alone if you don't want to be."

"I know and I appreciate it but I wouldn't want you to lose the money you shelled out for a hotel...besides, I don't have anywhere for you to stay."

A well placed hand brought her face up to meet his and he lightly stroked her jaw line with his thumb. "Are you sure? I'll sleep on the floor if I have to." She opened her mouth to reply but his thumb quickly moved to cover her lips. "If you go all self-destructive on yourself and something happens to you, Chris would never forgive me and I'd never forgive myself...don't put me in that position, Redfield."

Claire sighed and gently shook her head. "I've been done with self-destructive for years."

Carlos nodded and she noted the look on his face; he felt sorry for her and that was the last thing she needed. Life had been hard after the Spencer Estate incident, losing all of her friends but most importantly losing Forest.

He had been her first everything: crush, kiss, love, _lover_ - he was the holder of it all.

For a long time, Claire had blamed Chris since he was the one who'd practically forced her to leave Raccoon and attend college somewhere else, blackmail being his weapon of choice. It had been low for him to hold their relationship over their heads - threatening to protest if she didn't get every opportunity he thought she deserved because she wanted to stay with Forest.

And so she hadn't been there when news of the outbreak spread like wildfire but it had cut deep, so deeply that she'd been unable to return to college after the memorial and had opted to just wander from small town to small town, trying to forget.

Chris had always told her that she had a strange way of mourning the dead - consuming herself in other matters until it all boiled to a head and she had no choice but to leave to retain her sanity. Maybe that was the reason her mourning took longer than most, because she didn't mourn non-stop and only when she _had _to.

Running had always been her thing, it was how she dealt with hard situations and for years she ran every anniversary of the incident - for months she would be gone, telling no one where she was headed or when she'd be back. A few years ago she'd stopped running, delving into work instead but this year was different, this year she was wracked with guilt and she needed something besides work so she ran.

Jackson had been slowly consuming her thoughts, pushing the memories she shared with Forest to the back burner and she just couldn't have that, she felt like she was cheating somehow. In her mind she was still involved and always would be and though she didn't love HUNK, her feelings were deep enough to strike up the kind of self-loathing that came with betraying another person. Maybe that was the reason she hadn't been in a relationship in so long...

She cursed her weak heart.

"I'll be fine," Claire assured, shaking herself from her thoughts.

Carlos shot her a disbelieving look but nodded none the less. "You call me if you change your mind."

"Absolutely." The promise was sealed with a friendly kiss on the cheek and she pulled back, forcing a fake smile.

Her companion noted the strained look and cupped her beautiful face in his hands, eyes searching hers. It was a strange moment that Claire didn't try to comprehend, just relished in - she needed to feel loved.

"Don't freak out," he whispered before leaning down and capturing her lips with his.

It wasn't romantic or lustful, it was just a kiss and that was all it needed to be.

Claire was out of breath when they finally parted and she slowly opened her eyes to find that his were still closed. She opened her mouth to speak and, as though he sensed her about to break the silence, he swiftly leaned down and kissed her again, effectively quieting her so that he could speak first.

"You looked like you needed it..." he explained against her lips, eyes finally opening to lock with hers.

A sweet smile greeted him before she was in his arms, hugging him tightly, almost too tightly - it was as if she needed to be reassured that he was actually there and not some figment of her imagination.

"Thank you."

He chuckled, pulling back from the embrace and rubbing the top of her head, mussing up her hair as he did. "That's what I'm here for."

The red-head let out an uncharacteristic giggle and playfully pushed his hand away, watching as he took the hand she pushed him away with and briefly planted a kiss to the back of it before retreating to the door.

"Check in before you leave town or you're in big trouble mister," she warned as he walked out into the hall.

"You got it, kid."

And with one last kiss he was gone and the empty feeling that had consumed her all month returned tenfold.

She was alone _again_.

* * *

HUNK wasn't entirely sure how he felt about watching the young Redfield kiss this strange man, it was one of those things he was trying to avoid dealing with - though he'd be lying if he tried to claim that the thought of marching into the living room and ripping the man's head off didn't appeal to him.

What he _did_ know was that he wanted to stop the tears that rolled down her face as she closed the door and leaned against it, sobbing quietly. But he forced himself to stay hidden - being kind and comforting wasn't really his forte, he wouldn't even know where to start.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he absentmindedly looked up and found Claire in the hall outside the bathroom, staring at him with red rimmed eyes.

"Are you okay," she asked after a moment, nodding to his shoulder, covered in gauze.

Shocked into silence, HUNK just nodded before clearing his throat and asking her the question he'd wanted to ask since she had entered the apartment. "Where have you been?"

"Out," she said and, while her voice was completely indifferent, her eyes spoke of intense emotional pain.

Try as he might, HUNK couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes - he knew that.

"So you've been _out_ for a month..." he drawled in a slightly annoyed tone.

Now it was Claire's turn to roll her eyes as she turned and made her way to her room. She'd just been dragged home like some child and now she was getting the third degree from someone she barely knew. "Yeah."

Her companion growled and, in his haste to follow her, left his shirt in the bathroom - he was getting really tired of her one syllable answers. "So that's it then?" He grumbled, watching as she boldly stripped down to her undergarments and shook out her hair.

"Did I press the matter when you came to my home in the middle of the night, looking like hell and refusing to tell me what happened?" She groaned, never once turning to look at him as she made her way to the bathroom.

His eyes narrowed and he was on her in a less than a second when she tried to close the door between them.

"That doesn't mean I want to know any less," he ground out, stepping in the path of the door and blocking her attempt to lock herself away from him.

A glare crossed her features as she faced off against him with one hand on the door and the other braced against the wall, physically blocking the entrance to the bathroom. "I had things to attend to."

HUNK's mouth formed an 'o' and he nodded in faux understanding before stepping forward imposingly, seriously encroaching on her personal space. "Mind sharing?"

"Not in particularly, no," Claire sneered, repeating his words from that night so long ago and bringing the door forward in hopes that he would finally step back and let her have some privacy.

A low _thud_ sounded as HUNK's hand shot out and slammed against the door, pushing back against it. "Well maybe you'd like to tell me about your escort home."

Blue-grey eyes widened in surprise and she backed away a little - had she just heard...jealousy in his tone? It had been years since she'd been involved with a man, especially one who became jealous so easily and she was horribly out of practice with how to deal with this kind of anger.

"Rebecca called Chris and...he sent Ca-Carlos after me..." she stuttered, still a little off her game.

"And just who is Carlos?"

He tried to sound unaffected and, with any other woman he probably would have succeeded, but this was Claire - the woman who had metaphorically gripped him by the balls since the first time he'd heard her voice. He didn't know what it was about her that drew him in but he wished it would go away; he was used to being in control of himself and with her he wasn't - it was unsettling to say the least.

"A mercenary for hire...he used to work for Umbrella," she informed, slowly but surely regaining her bearings.

Icy eyes narrowed as her un-amused companion let out a gruff grunt and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Umbrella..." he trailed uncertainly.

A dark smirk found its way onto her face and she teasingly leant forward. "Yeah, just like you."

That simple statement seemingly brought HUNK back to himself and he took a step toward her, seeing and raising her challenge. "I've never done anything to hurt you-"

"And neither has he, so what's your point?"

Silence reigned as he fought hard to find an answer and soon she grew tired of waiting, placing her hand on his chest in an attempt to push him from her bathroom. But she was no match for him, despite the fact that she possessed above average physical strength for a woman of her age and size, and sighed when he wouldn't budge.

Just as she was about to resort to less than savory methods, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. "Damn it, Claire, did you even tell anyone where you were going?"

"How many times do I have to tell you people? I'm a big girl and, while I'm sure you'd appreciate it, I'm not _obligated_ to check in with you - or anyone else for that matter." Her patience was wearing thin and the fact that no one took her seriously or saw her as an adult was grating on her nerves.

There was a light scuffle as he pulled her even closer, making her lose her grip on the door, and she put her hand on the one holding her wrist, vainly trying to break away.

"Don't you dare compare me to your friends and family," he said through clenched teeth, abandoning her wrist in favor of her face, desperately trying to make her look at him. "They might want to keep tabs on you but that's not how I work. You had me more worried than I've ever been in my entire life and when you finally get back here, the only thing you can say to me is: 'I was out'? Your friends might be fine with that but you're gonna have to try a little harder with me."

A little gasp left Claire at his admission and, when she made no move to answer him he tilted her face up to his.

"You've got me feeling things I thought I was incapable of so, in return, I think you might just owe me an explanation. Now I'm going to ask you one last time, Redfield - where were you?"

The cute red-head worried her lip between her teeth and focused her eyes on a point behind his head. "I made a little trip to Raccoon City..."

HUNK's eyes narrowed in thought and he found that he was no longer angry with her.

He'd heard that they'd started rebuilding the city a year after the incident and, though it wasn't as big as Raccoon had originally been and many superstitious people shied away from living there, it was still a town. Now he was no therapist but, with the events connected to Raccoon, that couldn't be good for one's mental and emotional health.

"I've been thinking a lot about what happened lately and when you stopped coming, I figured I had a little time to kill. I didn't mean to be gone as long as I was but...I decided to do a little sightseeing on my way back, I guess it's the gypsy in me." She paused for a minute to let out a little bitter laugh as she shook her head, breaking free from his hands, and looked down. "That's when the cavalry sent Oliveira after me - he found me in some dive motel in a little nothing town a few hundred miles south of Raccoon. I wasn't worried about being found so the trail probably wasn't too hard to find."

HUNK nodded and rubbed his chin as his eyes refocused on the young woman in front of him.

She looked very much like a child standing there in her underwear - unruly bangs in her eyes and a down trodden look on her face - and a foreign feeling gripped him as he watched her fold her arms around herself. It was the same feeling that had urged him to comfort her when she had been crying against her door but this time, with her standing there in front of him, he found it harder to shake off.

Without really knowing what he was doing, he brought his arms up and awkwardly wrapped them around her. She immediately melted, fitting her body to his as she shivered uncontrollably and for the first time since she walked in, he realized just how cold and filthy she was. Dirt from driving out in the open on her bike clung to her skin, adding roughly two shades to her tan, and her hair smelled like the crisp fall air.

Claire tried to clear her mind, tried to find it in her somewhere to pull away from him - he was the source of her guilt, after all - but she couldn't. His arms felt so good around her, like a second home of sorts, and the warmth of his chest seeped into her freezing hands, hands that were trapped between their two bodies, preventing her from returning the rather odd embrace.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, resting her head against his uninjured shoulder. "This isn't your problem."

Her blond companion began shaking his head even before she started to push him away.

"Would you stop?" He groaned, struggling with her as she turned in his grip, once again intent on getting away from him. "Can't you graciously accept someone's help for once?"

She shook her head stubbornly as he trapped her to him and picked her up from behind, carrying her back into her bedroom. Claire grunted as she was unceremoniously thrown to the bed and only had enough time to roll over on her back before he covered her body with his, holding her arms above her head.

"There's no shame in needing someone to lean on," he informed in an irritated tone.

The young Redfield underneath him huffed and blew her bangs out of her face in frustration. "I've never had to lean on anyone before, though."

He raised an eyebrow at her in question, prompting her to continue.

"When my parents died Chris was caught up in his Air Force training...when my boyfriend died I was away at college where I knew no one so I couldn't lean on anyone even if I wanted to and then when I was involved in Raccoon's outbreak a few months later...things just moved too fast to be upset...and then it was over."

HUNK's eyes softened at the distraught look on her face and that strange feeling once again reared its ugly head.

"Now Chris and Jill are in Europe, Barry's practically retired, Carlos is busy working abroad, Leon and I can't even stand to be in the same room with each other and Rebecca and the Lieutenant are...Rebecca's been working so much and neglecting what they have, they need time for each other. I've just learned to deal."

He sighed, shook his head and added pressure to her wrists. "But now you don't have to." A grunt left him as he seemingly searched for the words to continue and, despite her position, she waited somewhat patiently. "I'm not very good at it, that much is true but...damn it all to hell, you've got me here now and, well I hate to spoil whatever fantasy you've got running in your head but I'm not going in anywhere anytime soon. Hell, I don't think I could even if I wanted to."

Tears gathered at the corners of Claire's eyes and HUNK let go of her wrists so that she could wipe them away but she didn't. She thoroughly surprised him when her first instinct was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down on top of her. With the way their proximity and her state of undress was already affecting his sexually deprived body, it was probably not the best idea but he went with it anyway - she needed him and if he had to risk a little embarrassment for her to find comfort, he would.

"Thank you, Jackson."

Her whisper was quiet and soft but he heard it and, unfortunately, so did his rapidly heating body.

HUNK nodded and raised himself up on shaking arms, forcing her to let go of her tight hold on him. "Yeah, anytime," he responded stiffly.

Worried about his sudden gruffness, she brought a hand to his cheek and searchingly scanned his face. Her light touch prompted an agonized groan from her companion and he shifted uncomfortably on top of her. Just as she was about to speak, ask him if he was okay, a loud, shrill beeping filled the room.

They both froze for a moment, as though they were two teenagers who had been caught behind the bleachers at school, before he reached between them and unclipped something from his belt. Claire watched as he brought a small box to his face and sighed - it was a beeper.

"It looks urgent - I've got to leave," he informed as he stood from the bed and replaced the beeper.

Claire nodded and stood soon after, quietly following him to the bathroom in the hall where his shirt lay on the counter, forgotten until a few moments ago. She leant against the wall opposite the door and stoically observed him as he pulled his shirt on and politely threw the remnants of the first aid supplies he used in the trash can.

"I'll probably be gone for the rest of the night but I'll try to come by tomorrow," he assured, touching her face briefly as he passed her on his way to the door.

She said nothing but smiled warmly at him as he left before turning and walking back to her bedroom.

And once again, she was alone.

* * *

_I know this took me a while but I can assure you I tried very hard to get this out sooner. I started in one direction and then crossed into another before finally landing myself in this one. It was a little depressing but I guess I've been in a depressed mood lately. _

_Well I hope I didn't ruin the characters or the pace of anything and I'm sincerely hoping that you enjoyed reading this. If you enjoyed this, please review - if you didn't, review anyway but please try not to flame. _

_Have a wonderful day all._

_-Lark_


	6. And so we take one step forward

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do__** NOT **__own Resident Evil or any of the characters._

_**Author's Note: **__I'd like to thank anyone and everyone who read the last installment and a special thanks to all those who reviewed. Parts of this chapter were inspired by some helpful comments left by one of my reviewers so I'd like to send out a special thanks to _**_Maiafay_**_ for inspiration and I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter. _

* * *

_And so we take one step forward and two steps back..._

_Tuesday, 7:42 pm; Claire Redfield's Apartment_

Apparently Chris and Rebecca were even more un-amused than Jackson had been about her lack of contact during her one month absence for just mere hours after arriving home, Claire had received a call from each of them and listened as they proceeded to fill her in on proper sister/friend etiquette. If one good thing came out of Rebecca's lecture, though, it was that she'd been able to get caught up on news about the WilPharma case - she couldn't have cared less about the gossip that had accompanied said news.

Burke, the supervisor of the case, was less than enthused with having to hold off meetings with the prosecuting attorney indefinitely until she got back. After her talk with Rebecca she'd given Burke a call only to be yelled at for a good thirty minutes before he finally got down to business and demanded her presence at the lab on the morrow.

In between being yelled at by her brother and her boss, Claire had found out that Jason and 'Manda at the lab were no longer dating and had each requested a new partner and case, leaving the newest biohazard investigation wide open - a case Claire had been itching to get on since the WilPharma court case was on the verge of no longer needing her - and that Billy had been acting mysterious as of late. According to Becks, he was often absent from their home - strange for a jobless, _wanted_ man with a tell-tale tattoo dominating his right arm - and continuously brought home questionable and expensive artillery.

It was curious behavior indeed but, for the moment, Claire was too busy trying to catch up on lost work that she couldn't devote the needed brain power to figuring out the motives behind said behavior.

With the Lieutenant's surprising connections and already sometimes shady tendencies, it could literally be anything.

A firm _knock_ shook her from her thoughts and it was only then that Claire realized that perhaps she had too much on her mind to be working efficiently. Sighing, she stood and made her way to the door, running a hand over her face as she went.

Fatigue made her sluggish and threw her off her game so when she opened the door, she did so without looking through the peep-hole or even grabbing the gun resting on the dresser in her bedroom.

The sight that greeted her was surprising to say the least and she almost didn't even recognize the man in her distracted state. It was the blond who had pursued HUNK to her apartment a few months ago but this time, he was without his scrawny partner.

Her throat hurt, voice hoarse from disuse and she had to clear it a few times before words were allowed smooth passage. "Can I help you?"

The man nodded and asked if he could come in and after a moment, Claire reluctantly allowed him passage; she'd gotten rid of him once but this time felt different and it would do no good to raise suspicion.

"I'm looking for a man-" he began but was soon interrupted by a frustrated Claire.

"I've been away from my home for quite some time, sir and I can assure you that in the few hours I've been back I haven't had the displeasure of seeing a man in black tactical gear." The words were biting and not altogether true but they made the man before her chuckle as though it were some running gag between the two.

"No men in black tactical gear this time."

His chuckles turned to outright laughter, almost hysterical in nature, and she found herself taking a step back as the sound of it stirred something uneasy in her.

In her experience men who went door to door asking after other men were only polite once. The first visit was a test run of sorts, to see if someone was in any way connected to their prey but the second visit meant business. A second encounter meant that they knew someone was affiliated with their prey and they would reap information in whatever way necessary.

These men were not joyous either, nor were they overly civil and that knowledge made Claire wonder just who this man was - who he worked for. Surely he did not work for Wesker; Wesker's men were never polite - first meeting, second _or_ third - not to mention that when he came to her door the first time he was looking for HUNK, who had been on reconnaissance _for _Wesker at the time.

So who did that leave?

BSAA wouldn't be sending someone after a simple mercenary - Wesker's mercenary or not - and simple mercs didn't do teamwork.

"I'm looking for a man named William Coen..."

All of Claire's thinking slowed to a sudden stop when the Lieutenant's name slipped into the air between the two of them - no one was supposed to know he was alive.

"He's around six foot, thirty years of age and there's a large tattoo on his right arm."

Ever the queen of saving face, Claire's expression gave nothing away as she tapped her chin in mock thought. "A tattoo you say? I don't think I know anyone like that..." she stated slowly, very convincing in her role as the confused female.

"Are you sure? It's very important that I find him, he's a dangerous criminal and any information you could provide would be helpful."

Ah, so he was playing _that_ card - that was alright, she had a few cards of her own.

"Almost a hundred percent," she started, sighing in exasperation. "Like I said, I've been away for a while and I haven't had much of a chance to see anyone; I just got in this morning in fact. Maybe if you could tell me when he committed his crime I could be more helpful - has he been in the area a while?" Her eagerness and willingness to help was priceless and her facade seemed genuine.

_I should get an Oscar for this, _she thought confidently.

Claire's seemingly sudden change of heart and shift of energy appeared to throw the man off guard and it was his turn to be confused - but whether his confusion was a ploy or not was a mystery to her.

"Well it's unknown if he's still in the area but this was close to where he was last spotted over a week ago."

Her mouth formed an 'o' and she appeared to be thinking over his response before: "Then I'm afraid I can't help you."

The blond looked suspicious but seemed to be contemplating taking her word at face value and leaving - whoever he was, he obviously wasn't too good at his job - when the door opened and Jackson stepped into view, gas mask covering his chiseled features.

Claire sighed and ran a hand over her face, wishing that she were anywhere but in her apartment. She couldn't see the man's expression but she could just imagine the smirk that surely crossed his face when he realized that he not only had her but_ the _Mr. Death.

"How's the arm," he questioned the masked man and her eyes met the glaring red eyes of Jackson's mask over the stranger's shoulder as he pivoted from his spot between them to look at Claire, the smirk she had expected firmly in place. "And you haven't seen anyone in black tactical gear."

It was a statement not a question and the sneer that accompanied it made her eye twitch, fingers itching to pull the trigger of the gun she wished she was holding.

As if the man had read her thoughts, he pulled his own gun and stepped back a little so that he could see the both of them clearly but he quickly made the fatal mistake of turning his attention to her, leaving his defenses open for HUNK exploit.

Just as he was about to speak - to once again demand the location of the Lieutenant, no doubt - her knight in a black tactical gear swiftly crept up behind him and snapped his neck without hesitation.

He_ really _hadn't been good at his job, maybe he had been new. She remembered the night she had first met him and she remembered thinking that he was harsh in business - he had shot HUNK and viciously tracked him, after all - but now as she looked at him, she realized that he had clearly been a bit green with very little field experience. No one turned their back on Death and lived to tell it.

"Did you have to kill him," Claire wondered aloud as she walked over to where Jackson was quietly searching the man's pockets - she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the dead man.

Red eyes once again found hers and the voice that followed was distorted. "If I hadn't and he'd somehow gotten away, the word that I spend my free time here would have spread like wildfire through the underground; that's publicity you don't want."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him before quickly making her way to her room and grabbing her gun - after what just happened, she'd feel a lot better with the familiar weight of iron strapped to her thigh.

Jackson removed his mask and looked up when she reentered only to find her hooking a strap around her leg, watching as she adjusted a customized Glock in the holster. He shook his head, was it just him or was there something terribly sexy about a woman with a gun?

If he were the type to smack himself in the head, he would have - he needed to focus, he was the reason she was in this mess in the first place. Maybe that thought was what made him stand and stare at her in all seriousness as she straightened. "I'll get rid of him and then I think you and I better have a talk."

A frown found its way onto Claire's face and she stepped forward so that the only thing separating them was the body on the floor. "How about we talk first and dispose of him later?" As a general rule she wasn't a patient woman and she didn't pretend to be.

A sigh escaped him and he nodded in reluctant surrender. "I don't think it's safe for me to come by here anymore."

She started to speak but he put a hand up to stop her.

"You can get into trouble all by yourself, you don't need me helping you," he stated simply, leaving no room for question as he pulled her key out of one of the many pockets on his pants and began to hand it back to her.

She pushed his hand away with a huff. "Don't flatter yourself; he wasn't here for you this time." Two eyebrows rose simultaneously in question and she continued slowly. "He was here for the Lieutenant."

Jackson absentmindedly stored the key in its previous pocket while silently wondering how the rookie at his feet knew about Billy Coen. He was not only old news, way before the dead kids' time, but he was legally dead - virtually no one knew he was alive.

"Say why," he inquired curiously and she immediately shook her head.

"All he said was that Billy is a dangerous criminal but I seriously doubt he was in league with the marines, hunting for _justice_." Her tone was sharp and he got the feeling the Coen's execution hit a nerve. "He doesn't work for Wesker, does he?"

He shot a disbelieving look her way and she shrugged sheepishly, a child-like smile on her face.

A series of hurried _knocks _broke the momentary silence of the room and Claire groaned. "With my luck, that will be Wesker himself or worse, my brother..." she trailed, stepping over the man at her feet as she started for the door before remembering, quite suddenly, that he was dead. "Get him out of here."

Her companion nodded and bent down, throwing the man over his shoulder and carrying him to the bathroom in the hall. He took no care in depositing the body on the floor before promptly closing the door to hide his deceased form.

Claire once again began her trek as he reentered the room and another bought of _knocks_ demanded her attention.

"Hold it," Jackson began, rushing forward and grabbing her arm lightly, stopping her in her tracks. "Just to be on the safe side I think we should be prepared." And with that he made his way to the door and readied _Matilda _for action, motioning for Claire to come forward seconds later. The youngest Redfield fought the urge to roll her eyes as she followed him and steeled herself for whatever lay ahead. [_1_]

Upon opening the door she saw a weary-looking Rebecca, who appeared as though she were on the verge of collapsing at any moment. Giving the armed man behind her door the signal to stand down, Claire pulled the younger woman into the apartment and led her to the couch, leaving HUNK to lock up.

"What happened," she asked, smoothing Rebecca's unruly hair back.

The brunette sighed and propped her elbows on her knees, letting her head rest in her hands. "Burke called around five and asked that I meet him at the lab - he needed the key to the containment unit in our office - so I left Billy at home, told him I'd probably be back in an hour or so." She paused to collect her thoughts, sitting up a little straighter before continuing. "As soon as I walked back in the apartment, a gun was jammed in my face and some guy kept on and on about where Billy was. Given our...unique situation I didn't know what to say so I just stalled, biding my time until Billy came home or I could get away - I barely escaped." Another pause and then: "I don't think I was followed."

Claire shook her head and turned to look back at Jackson, who Rebecca still hadn't taken notice of - it was probably for the best that she hadn't. "Have you tried calling his phone," she asked hopefully, turning back to Rebecca.

The younger woman nodded. "It went straight to voice mail."

"Well you can stay here the night and tomorrow we'll go back to your place and check it out, see if the guy left anything behind that could tell us who he is-" There was more that she had wanted to say but was unable to because Jackson felt that now was the time to make himself known.

"I don't think so," he began sternly, making both women turn to him - Rebecca in shock and Claire in irritation. "Someone out there is targeting anyone Coen's been in contact with and I doubt whoever it is will stop until they find him - it's just not safe."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the gas mask abandoned on the floor near the man's feet, at which time she hastily turned back to Claire, pleading: "Please tell me that's not who I think it is..."

"I'll explain later," the other woman assured, a light blush coating her cheeks. "But for now, my home is your home - stay here as long as you need to."

Jackson cleared his throat from his spot by the door and when Claire looked up he motioned toward the bedroom. Quietly excusing herself, she got up and followed him into the other room, closing the door behind her.

"I've got to get going-"

She sighed. "When will you be back?"

He shrugged before leaning back against her dresser and crossing his arms. "Two, three days at the most."

A weary nod was the only indication that she'd heard him as she turned and walked over to the window in the back of the room.

"Considering the circumstances, that's not the safest thing to do right now." His tone was light and his words were accompanied by a chuckle but she found that she wasn't really in a laughing mood.

The month had been hellish and when she finally got home, where she expected things to be just the way she'd left them, the shit most literally hit the fan and now he was leaving her to deal with it herself - there wasn't much to joke about.

Taking note of her unusual silence, Jackson pushed himself off the dresser and came to stand behind her, hesitantly placing his hands on her shoulders. "I've got to go take care of a few things but I'll come by later tonight and take care of our friend in the bathroom before I head out."

Another nod and he found himself sighing at her reluctance to speak.

"While I'm gone I don't want you calling anyone but if you have to, use your cell phone not the house phone or the girl's phone - since she's directly connected to Coen, whoever is after him will be focusing their efforts on her. I also don't want you using your computer or your phone's Internet connection and for the love of God don't leave this apartment."

His last instruction had her turning quickly to face him, concern marring her features. "You really think it's that bad?"

"They wouldn't have sent someone after him if it wasn't."

Claire shivered and wrapped her arms around herself in hopes of retaining what little warmth she could. Seeing this, Jackson brought his arms up around her and stiffly pulled her closer.

"If things do get bad over here, I don't want you two going back to the girl's apartment, you check into a motel - if things are as bad as I think they are, they'll have someone staking out her place 'til they find Coen. I'll try to find out what I can and I'll be back as soon as possible." He paused for a second before taking her by the shoulders and holding her away from him. "And there's one more thing I want you to do for me," he began seriously. "I don't want you telling anyone about this, especially _what's his face _with the government-"

"You don't think..." she interrupted cautiously and he just shrugged.

"I don't know - if I kept track of everyone who wanted my head on a silver platter, the list would be longer than my rap sheet - but what I do know is that it is a possibility."

She sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder and his arms once again came about her as he tried his hardest to be comforting.

Silence reigned as Claire just stood there, letting him consume every part of her being. For the moments he held her, she belonged to him and while she belonged to him, he was hers in return. And then all of a sudden something changed, shifted between them and they both pulled back at the same time, just staring at each other. She started leaning in first and he hesitantly followed her lead before stopping abruptly and dropping his hands from where they rested at her hips.

"I should get going."

Claire watched as he turned and quickly fled from the room before gathering her strength and following him.

"Now remember what I said and I want you to put the chain on after I leave," he instructed, turning to her as he reached the front door.

"I thought you said you were coming back to take care of-"

"I am," he cut in softly. "I'll be able to get back in, don't worry." And with a saucy, teasing wink, he was gone.

Claire wasted no time in locking up, doing exactly as he bade her before turning to face Rebecca.

"You know one day you'll have to explain that to me." The younger woman laughed lightly despite the turn her life was taking.

Maltese colored eyes narrowed in confusion. "Explain what?"

Rebecca smiled tiredly and shook her head, allowing her fingers to run through her slightly greasy bangs. "Just how you managed to tame a trained killer from Umbrella and turn him into a pussycat - _meow_."

* * *

_[1] For anyone who cares, Matilda is the rumored nickname of HUNK's VP70. _

* * *

_Does Rebecca know something Claire doesn't? Mmm..._

_Well in all truth, I'm not entirely happy with the ending, it took me a while to write, but I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. Once again I hope I didn't ruin the characters or the plot or anything and if I did, don't be afraid to tell me. Things will hopefully become clearer in the next installment and more about what Billy's been doing since Claire's been away will be revealed as well as guesses to his location so please stay tuned. _

_Well please remember to review and I hope you all have a wonderful day. _

_-Lark. _


	7. And so you return to me

_The Terra Save Chronicles_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do__** NOT **__own Resident Evil or any of the characters. _

_**Author's Note:**__ It is not lost on me that it has been a heinously long time since I updated last and, for that, I'm sorry; I hope this makes up for it. I really appreciate everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, you guys are amazing and keep the story going - I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint._

* * *

_And so you return to me..._

_Monday, 11:00 pm; Hotel Downtown_

"Two, three days at the most," quickly turned into a week and a half and Claire was torn between being scared for Jackson's safety and wanting to kill him herself when he got back. He had went out of his way to caution her about safety and what not, scaring her so terribly that when a common criminal tried to break in her apartment on day three, she moved herself and Rebecca to a hotel across town and took a cab to work instead of her bike or Rebecca's jeep.

While the room at the hotel was quite nice, better than her apartment even, Claire was anxious to get home and she knew that Rebecca was as well. The young medic often came to her adjacent room in the middle of the night, plagued by nightmares and what if's, and Claire herself usually stayed up watching over her, unable to sleep because of her own overactive imagination. Tonight it seemed that Rebecca had found peace with her dreams as she had yet to visit Claire's room and the redhead had an overwhelming urge to check on her before retiring herself.

Quietly opening Rebecca's door, the young Redfield caught sight of her friend's outline on the bed and she thought she could hear a light snoring sound before she closed the door, smiling gently.

At least Rebecca could sleep, now all she could do was try to follow her lead.

* * *

Claire had only been asleep for what seemed like mere minutes when she felt smooth leather touch her face. Moving slightly, as though still in slumber, she grabbed the gun from under her pillow and bolted up, holding it to the person's forehead.

A deep, amused chuckle greeted her and, in the dim light of her bedroom she thought she saw a flash of bright red before she was disarmed and pinned to the mattress. The person atop her released her wrists and turned on the bedside lamp, revealing a fully uniformed Jackson - gas mask and all.

"This again? I'm hurt; I thought we were past the whole gun in the face thing," he teased, pulling his mask off and dropping it to the floor.

Remembering her lost look when he'd said good-bye earlier in the week, he'd expected to be welcome with open arms, not the closed fist she began to beat him with.

"I should do more than just point it at you, I should shoot you with it," she hissed hitting him in the shoulder. "You scared the shit out of me with all this government talk and then you just disappear! Do you know that I called your phone at least four times yesterday?"

A laugh escaped him as he crawled off her, collapsing to her right. "Try forty. And for the record, I got every last one of your...charming little messages but I was busy."

Grey eyes narrowed and she hit him once again as payment for his snide tone of voice. "Busy doing Wesker's bidding." Somewhere deep inside herself, she was hurt that Wesker came before her but she comforted herself with the knowledge that it wasn't like he had any obligation to her, that way she could delude herself into believing that if there was anything between them, things just might be different. It was highly unlikely, of course, but a woman needed her illusions.

Jackson laughed again before leaning close to her. "Try busy saving your marine bodyguard from certain death or worse...lifetime imprisonment by our fair US government." A small gasp escaped Claire and she was tempted to call him a liar but he didn't give her the chance. "Walk into the girl's room and see for yourself if you don't believe me," he stated smirking. "I actually did a good thing and you can apologize for your skepticism at any time."

Claire rolled her eyes and fought the urge to hit him again simply because he was to smug for his own good.

"By the way, did you know how easy it was to find you? You really should try to cover your tracks better," he informed seriously, a small frown on his face.

"So what happened?" Claire asked, purposefully changing the subject.

Jackson sat up and rubbed his chin thoughtfully before leaning into her. "Well if I told you, then I'd have to kill you." This time she did hit him and he laughed before lying back on the bed; he hadn't felt this carefree in a while and he could only attribute his good spirits to being in her presence. "It seems that your marine hero was deep into the underground, trading black market artillery when your good friend what's his face caught up with him-"

"You mean Leon brought him in and sent those guys after me and Becks?"

"Well if you stop interrupting me, I'll tell you." He sighed, playfully placing a gloved hand over her mouth. "It seems that while _Leon_ found him first and tipped off his pals with the FBI, he's not exactly the one who sent the big bad mercenaries after everyone. He warned Coen about the government after him and that's why he left the girl's place so suddenly. Supposedly he tried to get back in contact with her to warn her but couldn't reach her," he explained, looking very cocky about his brush with the good side.

Claire reached up and removed his hand from her mouth. "And just how did _you_ come across him while doing reconnaissance for Wesker?"

At the question, Jackson's eyes narrowed slightly and he turned oddly serious. "Now if I told you that, I'd really have to kill you."

She nodded solemnly, respecting the fact that there would be things he did in the line of duty she'd never be able to know about, just like there would be missions she had to carry out that it'd be best he not know about.

In an attempt to lighten the mood and convey that there were no hard feelings, Claire scooted over and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling deep into his side. His arm came up around her as if it were second nature, pulling her as close as possible.

While foreign and downright scary, the feelings he was beginning to feel for her weren't entirely unwanted, in fact he cherished them at this point. She was the first person in a long time to actually give a damn about what happened to him and not just because his life served to make hers easier.

Sighing, she shifted to look up at him. "Thank you."

"For what?" he wondered aloud, eyebrow raised in confusion.

Giggling, Claire rubbed her face against his tactical vest, breathing in his unique scent before answering. "For bringing Billy back home to Rebecca; I'm not sure what she'd have done without him and I'm not too good at picking up the pieces of my friends."

It wasn't lost on him that Claire actually called the marine by name, not rank and it occurred to him, quite suddenly, that this act of selflessness meant a great deal to her.

"You're welcome," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

_Please review. _


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